Out Of My Mind
by seawaffle
Summary: Santana Lopez loves Wednesdays. It used to be because it was her day off, but now it's because of the mystery girl next door. Dantana
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I had an idea and I couldn't get it out of my head. It kinda took on a life of its own after I started writing it. This is my first time writing so constructive criticism would be helpful, but go a little easy on me :) Okay here we go!**

* * *

**Out Of My Mind**

Santana Lopez sat on her rooftop on a Wednesday afternoon, calculus book in her lap, calculator in her hand, and frustration in her mind.

"Who even gives a flying fuck about math anyways?" she thought, slamming the book closed and throwing the calculator off the roof. Just her luck, she missed seeing where it landed.

"Well...shit," she grumbled.

She needed a break. The seventeen year old grabbed her iPod classic, jammed in her earbuds, and hit shuffle. Santana let the music wash away her frustration, and felt her body begin to relax. She laid back and stared up at the late afternoon sky. She couldn't wait to get out of this butthole of a town. Sure she didn't exactly have a plan yet, but she knew there was no way in heaven or hell that she would stay in Lima, Ohio for the rest of her life.

Watching the clouds overhead, she remembered why she loved Wednesdays so much: no Cheerios practice. Santana loved being a cheerleader with her two best friends Quinn and Brittany, and while Coach Sue was as approachable as a cactus with projectile spines, she had learned a lot during her two years on the squad. The only thing she didn't like was having to wake up at the asscrack of dawn every weekday morning for before school practices. Coach Sue gave them Wednesdays off, seeing as they practice before and after school every weekday and three hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Santana spent those glorious free Wednesdays sleeping in, and after school she would go home and enjoy the feeling of doing absolutely nothing. Unfortunately for her, today her calc teacher had decided to give out a homework load the size of Mars.

Santana sat up and looked over at the house next door. A family had moved in a few weeks ago, and according to her mom they had a daughter her age, although she had never seen the girl. She began to get lost in her music as one of her favorite songs came on, but was startled when the side gate of the house suddenly swung open. Out came a girl, probably shorter than Santana, lugging a huge grey trash can. She had dyed blonde hair with obvious roots that somehow worked really well, and she was wearing a red flannel, ripped black jeans, and deep red Dr. Marten's boots. Santana couldn't quite see her face because her hair was in the way, but was surprised that she wanted to. Why did she even want to know? This girl could look like a donkey for all she cared.

The blonde continued to drag the trash can to the curb, swinging her hips to the music from the iPod Santana saw peeking out of her back pocket, not that she was staring at her butt or anything. When the girl reached the curb and placed the trash can in the street, she began to awkwardly dance her way back to the side gate to get a blue recycling bin. Santana watched in amusement as she got to the middle of the driveway, stopped, put the bin down, and played air guitar for a few seconds. When her killer solo was over, she picked the bin back up and danced her way down to the curb, setting it next to the trash can. Santana couldn't help the small smile tugging on her lips as the mystery girl danced all the way from the curb to the gate, slamming it shut behind her.

"Well that was adorable," she chuckled to herself. "Wait what? Santana Lopez does _not_ think people are adorable!" The small smile still on her face told her otherwise, and she decided to leave it there.

* * *

The next Wednesday, Santana once again sat on the rooftop, trying to focus on reading her English book, Fast Food Nation. It was really just making her hungry. Yeah it was kinda gross and she never wanted to have McDonald's ever again, but hey a teenager's gotta eat, right?

"Just finish this chapter, Lopez. Then you can grab a snack. Or a pre-dinner dinner. Whatever," she told herself.

She made it through a couple more pages before noticing movement out of the corner of her eye. The side gate of the house next door opened, and out came mystery girl. Santana had seen the back of her head a couple times during passing periods in the hallways at school once or twice, but still hadn't managed to see her face. She wondered about this mystery girl more often than she would care to admit.

Santana held the forgotten book in her hands, watching the blonde once again bring out the big grey trash can. She felt that small smile, that she had so much trouble getting rid of last time, creep its way back onto her face. Mystery girl was making her do weird things, like this smiling nonsense, and she still didn't even really know what she looked like. Santana did, however, appreciate the form fitting royal blue hoodie, unripped black jeans, and red Vans that mystery girl was sporting. Again, she noticed the iPod in her back pocket, still not staring at her butt or anything. But the thing that really got her was seeing that mystery girl had put her hair up in a ponytail. This is what Santana had been waiting for!

"Whoa there, chill out. My god, she's just a girl. No need to lose your cool," she reprimanded herself.

The blonde hauled the trash can to the curb, swaying her hips along with whatever she was listening to. Santana could only see part of the side of her face, but she saw that the girl had an amazing jawline.

"Who even notices things like that? What the hell, Santana," she thought.

She had no idea what this girl was doing to her. She didn't have much time to dwell on it, because the blonde had turned around and was doing her awkward dance back up the driveway, her face in full view. And what a view it was. Mystery girl had an adorable nose, and Santana could just make out little freckles on the bridge of her nose. She had the cutest little chin dimple, but not nearly as heartwarming as her cheek dimples, caused by the massive smile plastered on her face. Santana found herself fawning over the way her top lip curled up a little bit. She could tell it was a genuine smile by the way it reached all the way up to her eyes. Lord have mercy, her eyes. Those were what stood out to Santana the most. Mystery girl had the most gorgeous brown eyes Santana had ever seen. No, she had _the_ most gorgeous eyes Santana had ever seen. Santana had never been one for brown eyes, but after seeing mystery girl's deep brown perfection, she was sure she never wanted to look at anything else but those eyes.

Santana lost sight of the blonde's face as she went behind the gate to pick up the recycling bin. She skip-danced to the trash can, and put the bin down beside it. She turned around to make her way back up, paused, put closed fists up near her head, and scrunched her face as she mouthed the words to a song Santana wished she could hear. She dropped her hands in front of her and did the Spongebob all the way up the driveway. She stopped at the gate, threw a hand in the air, and walked behind the gate swinging her head from side to side, shutting it behind her.

Santana found herself still staring at the gate long after mystery girl left. She shook her head, trying to get the image of the blonde out of her thoughts, but just couldn't. Giving up, she noticed that the small smile had grown into a dorky grin. Yet another thing she wouldn't be able to get rid of. Great. She looked down at the rooftop to find that at some point she had dropped her book. She picked it up, remembering she was supposed to be reading. Sighing, she opened the book to the right page, only to close it again, knowing that she would never be able to focus on the faults in the meat packing industry after she had just seen mystery girl's face. Santana stood up, gathered her things, and began to head back inside for food, the beauty she had just witnessed still in the forefront of her mind.

* * *

It became a habit on Wednesdays for Santana to attempt to do homework on her roof while waiting for the blonde to bring out the trash. She would never come out at the same time as the week before, leaving Santana to constantly guess when she would make an appearance. Somehow, Santana didn't mind. She would wait all night on her roof if she had to.

"Whoa okay no need to get crazy. I don't even know her name!" she thought. But she knew that no matter how crazy it seemed, she would wait as long as she had to in order to see that beautiful face again.

The one thing Santana could always be sure of was that whenever mystery girl _did_ come out, she was dancing. Pretty awkwardly dancing, but Santana thought it was cute. She was sure that the blonde could really move if she wanted to, but she seemed to happy dancing like an idiot. Santana loved it.

This was the fourth week since the first mystery girl sighting that Santana sat on her roof, awaiting the blonde's arrival. Thanking the school gods that she didn't have any homework, she took advantage of the stress free afternoon and just relaxed and waited. After about an hour of enjoying not doing anything, Santana saw the side gate open. She felt the dorky grin make its way onto her face. That was something she had gotten used to by now. What she was _not_ used to was feeling her heart rate speed up a little bit.

"Well that's new..." she mused. She didn't spend too long wondering about it, because mystery girl was making her way out to the curb, trash can in tow.

"Moonwalking? Really?" Santana couldn't help but giggle. The blonde left the trash can at the curb and walked back to get the recycling bin. She picked it up, started shuffle dancing down the driveway towards the curb, and did something Santana would never forget. She began to sing.

_**Oh, how quickly I come undone**_

_** Like melting ice on the sun**_

_** Why would that stop when I'm falling free**_

_** Midnight daydream**_

Santana forgot how to breathe. She had never heard a voice like that before in her life. It was soothing, comforting, exciting, electric. It was the most beautiful sound to grace her eardrums since Brittany told her that Taco Bell was now serving breakfast. No, it was even more beautiful than that. She was so entranced by the blonde's voice that she hadn't noticed her set the bin down in the driveway halfway through the first verse and start doing the Sprinkler in a circle.

_**Oh you watch me and I'm exposed**_

The Sprinkler circle stopped on Santana, the blonde pointing and looking right at her.

_**Like lightning bolts in my bones**_

Mystery girl threw a wink at Santana, dropped her hand and picked up the recycling bin, continuing on to the curb.

_**Why would that stop when I'm falling free**_

_** Midnight daydream**_

She left the bin by the trash can and did the Charleston back up the driveway and to the gate. She stopped, turned around to face Santana, and gave her a wave.

_**Midnight daydream**_

And with that, she disappeared behind the gate.

Santana let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding. She was pretty sure she had died and gone to heaven.

"She waved at me. She _winked _at me, for fuck's sake!" Santana jumped up and fist pumped. She was elated. Then, realization dawned on her.

"Wait, she knew exactly where I was. Oh shit! That means she knows I've been watching...Classic," she groaned. But then she remembered the wink and the wave and all embarrassment was forgotten. It didn't matter that she had been caught. The most beautiful girl she had ever seen had noticed her. That was all it took for the dorky grin to evolve into a full-fledged beam, and for her heart to flutter around in her chest. There was another new feeling to add to the mix this time though.

"Butterflies? Seriously? Santana Lopez does _not_ get...ugh. This is so weird," she thought as she gave in. She had never felt anything like this before. Whatever mystery girl was doing to her was a completely new feeling, and if she was being totally honest, she couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

* * *

Santana Lopez was angry. Not in the "if you try to talk to me, I'll bite your head off" kind of way. Oh no. She was angry in the "if you even think about coming near me, I'll duct tape you to a wall upside down and shove Skittles up your nose until you cry" kind of way. She was well aware that she was overreacting, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Her parents were having construction done on some of the house and, irritatingly enough, that included the roof, which meant she wasn't allowed up there until construction was done, which in turn meant _no mystery girl_. Instead, she was stuck on the front porch, silently fuming.

Santana knew that she really had no reason to be angry, but she just couldn't help it. Wednesdays were her absolute favorite day of the week now, all because of the guarantee of seeing the blonde. She had finally convinced herself that this Wednesday would be the one that she finally talked to her, but now her plans were ruined. Sure, she could just walk up to mystery girl and introduce herself, but for some reason the blonde made her nervous. She would much rather do it from the safety of the roof.

Santana was in the middle of an internal rant consisting mostly of four letter words when she heard the voice she had spent the last seven days thinking about.

_**I wanna thrill you like Michael**_

_** I wanna kiss you like Prince**_

_** Let's get it on like Marvin Gaye**_

_** Like Hathaway**_

_** Write a song for you like this**_

Santana loved this song. it was one of her favorites. And hearing her favorite voice singing one of her favorite songs was simply the best.

_**You're over my head**_

_** I'm out of my mind**_

_** Thinkin I was born in the wrong time**_

_** It's love on rewind Everything is so throwback-ish (I kinda like it how you're)**_

Santana made her way to the side yard where she could see mystery girl putting the trash can by the curb.

_**Out of my league**_

_** Old school chic**_

_** Like a movie star from the silver screen**_

_** You're one of a kind**_

_** Livin in a world gone plastic**_

_** Baby you're so classic**_

This was it.

_**Baby you're so classic**_

It's now or never.

_**Baby you're so classic**_

Santana stepped out from the side yard so mystery girl could see her and not be startled. She started the next part of the song, eyes on her feet.

_**Baby you're class and baby you're sick**_

She looked up to see mystery girl smiling at her.

_**I never met a girl like you ever til we met**_

She could see the blonde's cheeks flush a little, giving her more confidence to walk towards her.

_**A star in the 40's, centerfold in the 50's**_

Santana was now in front of the blonde.

_**Got me trippin out like the 60's hippies**_

Mystery girl held out her hand for Santana to take, and they began to awkward dance together, looking like total idiots.

_**Queen of the disco tech**_

_** A 70's dream in an 80's vest**_

_** Hepburn, Beyoncé, Marilyn, Massive**_

_** Girl you're timeless, just so classic**_

Mystery girl took over the chorus, still dancing with Santana.

_**You're over my head**_

_** I'm out of my mind**_

_** Thinkin I was born in the wrong time**_

_** It's love on rewind**_

_** Everything is so throwback-ish (I kinda like it how you're)**_

Santana joined her, both laughing at each other's dumb dance moves.

_**Out of my league**_

_** Old school chic**_

_** Like a movie star from the silver screen**_

_** You're one of a kind**_

_** Livin in a world gone plastic**_

_** Baby you're so classic**_

The blonde twirled Santana around.

_**Baby you're so classic**_

Santana twirled the blonde around.

_**Baby you're so classic**_

As the song ended, so did their dance. The laughter, however, continued. Santana looked at the blonde, and couldn't help but think that she was even more beautiful than she had previously noticed.

"Ahem?"

Santana was shaken out of her thoughts to realize that she had been staring at the blonde, who had an amused little grin on her face. She felt her cheeks heat up and thanked her ancestors that she had naturally tan skin.

"Sorry..." she managed to get out.

"It's okay," the blonde chuckled. "Hi, I'm Dani." She held out her hand.

Dani. The perfect name for the perfect girl.

"Oh my god get it together!" Santana thought-yelled at herself. "I'm Santana," she replied, shaking Dani's hand. She looked right into Dani's eyes. Wrong move. Now she was positive this was a dream. There was no way anyone in real life could be that attractive. She quickly cleared her throat and looked away.

"You have an amazing voice," Dani said, blushing slightly.

"Not nearly as good as yours though," Santana winked at the blonde.

"Aw thanks," Dani blushed again as a huge smile graced her features, looking at Santana. Santana thanked every single heavenly body she could think of for allowing the smile on Dani's face to be because of her.

"Those dance moves though..." Santana teased.

"Oh shut up. Like yours were any better!" Dani fired right back at her.

"They most definitely were, Little Miss Running Man!"

"Uh huh. You just keep telling yourself that, Professor Macarena!"

"I will!"

The two of them dissolved into laughter. When the laughter died down, neither of them really knew what to say, so they stood in a weird silence for a minute or two. It wasn't exactly awkward, but it wasn't the most comfortable silence ever. Dani glanced down for inspiration and noticed Santana's shirt.

"AC/DC, huh?"

"What?" Santana looked confused, so Dani pointed at her shirt. Santana had to look down at her own shirt to remember what she was wearing. "Oh, right. Yeah." She let out a nervous laugh.

Dani looked up at Santana and grinned.

"Now _there's_ a classic."

* * *

**A/N: Ta-da! Okay the songs are Miami 82 (feat Madame Buttons)[Vocal Radio Edit] by Syn Cole and Classic by MKTO. Hope you enjoyed it :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Holy macaroni you guys are awesome! You have been so supportive and I think that's so cool. Originally this was intended to be a one shot but I got so many requests to continue it, so I did :P Okay here it is. Enjoy :)**

* * *

_**Woke up this morning feeling fine**_

_**There's something special on my mind**_

_**Last night I met a new boy in the neighborhood, oh yeah**_

_**Something tells me I'm into something good**_

Santana's alarm went off Thursday morning. She grumbled before looking at the clock to her right; 6:00 am. She had twenty minutes to get ready and make it to school in time for Cheerios practice starting at 6:30. She thought that since it was her junior year and she'd been doing this for two years already, she would have gotten used to waking up so early by now. Naturally, she was just as grumpy waking up now as she was for the first before school practice. Lucky for her, she only ever had to wear her uniform to school, which cut out the hassle of choosing the right thing to wear. Except on Wednesdays.

_**He's the kind of boy who is not too shy**_

_**And I can't help but tell him he's my guy**_

_**He danced close to me like I hoped he would**_

_**Something tells me I'm into something good**_

Santana listened to the song playing as her phone alarm. She couldn't help but smile as she thought of dancing with Dani yesterday afternoon. She had never really let go like that with someone before, and she was a little worried to find that she really enjoyed it. She hadn't even really known Dani for twenty four hours yet, but already felt incredibly comfortable around her. For some reason, she felt like she didn't have to put up her large-and-in-charge act around the blonde. That scared her. She knew absolutely nothing about the blonde, so even though she had finally talked to her, Dani was still mystery girl.

_**We only danced for a minute or two**_

_**But then he stuck close to me the whole night through**_

_**Can I be falli-**_

Santana looked over at her clock; 6:15.

"SH-" she remembered her parents were still in the house. "-aquille O'Neal I'm gonna be late!" She paused the music and hopped out of bed, rushing to the bathroom to get ready. By the time she looked presentable, there was no time for breakfast. "I'll just share Britt's food," she thought as she rushed to her car. Santana always liked to drive a little faster than most people, but she was pretty sure she broke more than a few laws on her mad dash to practice. She made it to the field by 6:32.

"You know you're gonna have to do extra laps, right?" Santana looked over to see Quinn and Brittany walking over towards her. Quinn had a smug grin on her face, and Brittany was munching away on some strawberry pop tarts.

"No it's fine. Coach isn't even here yet, and if you don't rat me out," Santana looked pointedly at Quinn, "I won't have to."

"Won't have to what, Sandbags?" Sue snarled, startling the three cheerleaders.

"Oh Santana was just telling Quinn to not tell you about how she was two minutes late so she wouldn't have to run extra laps!" Brittany supplied, still eating her pop tart. Santana and Quinn both face-palmed. They loved Brittany, they really did, but sometimes it seemed like she had pop tarts for brains.

"Is that so? Well then, Sandbags, you can run five extra laps!"

"But Coach I was only two minutes late! The rule is you have to do one lap for every minute you're late, so it should only be two." Santana pleaded. She loves the Cheerios, but running - not so much.

"Sucks for you then, doesn't it. Five extra laps." Sue said with a finality Santana didn't dare question. Quinn snickered at her.

"And two for you, Q." Quinn's head snapped up.

"What? Why?"

"Because you were gonna keep it from me. I know how the three of you work, Tubbers. Your "Unholy Trinity" or whatever that ridiculous name is that you call your little threesome. You may be my best Cheerios, but you still answer to me, not each other," Sue glared at the girls. "Now GO!" she shouted at the two through her megaphone.

"Hey Britt, save me a pop tart!" Santana shouted over her shoulder. Brittany gave her a thumbs up, signaling that she'd heard Santana.

"So how come you were late anyways?" Quinn asked as they started their laps.

"I, um, got lost in my thoughts I guess."

"Santana? Thinking? What is this madness?" Quinn voice dripped with sarcasm, smiling at her friend. Santana hit her in the arm.

"Shut up, Q. Yeah I was thinking."

"About what?"

"About how much what I was thinking about is none of your business."

"Okay first of all, that doesn't even make sense. And second of all, the Unholy Trinity has been best friends since the age of seven. Since when do you not tell us things? You told us that you were surfing on a rainbow to Gaytown, what could be more secret than that?"

Santana took a second to think. Quinn was right. When she came out to her and Brittany last year, they didn't turn her away or freak out. They kept it to themselves like best friends do. They still loved her. Why couldn't she tell them about Dani?

"Okay fine. But this stays between us, and if it gets out I swear I will go all kinds of Lima Heights on your ass," Santana threatened.

"You know that threat doesn't work, dummy."

"I don't care. Seriously, zip it."

"Gotcha."

"Okay so...uh...I...t-there's...um..."

"Santana are you stuttering?!" Quinn nearly stopped in her tracks.

"Why don't you just shout it to the whole world, asshat!"

"Sorry, you've never stuttered before," Quinn muttered to the ground as she caught back up with Santana. She looked up in realization. "Wait hold up, is this about a girl?" No reply. "I'm gonna take the silence as a most definite yes."

"Fine, yeah it's about a girl. But before you get all weird and ask me a bajillion stupid as hell questions, I'm gonna tell you what happened." Santana told Quinn about the last few Wednesdays; the dancing, the watching, the singing. She had a tiny smile on her face while recounting it all, and when she got to yesterday afternoon it had turned into a full grin, telling Quinn about singing and dancing with Dani.

"So that's why you seem so much happier on Thursdays..." Quinn wondered aloud.

"What? No I don't. I'm perfectly normal on Thursdays. And every other day for that matter," Santana huffed out.

"No need to get defensive. We're best friends, we notice everything. Even Brittany noticed that you were less mean. But don't worry, you're still scary to everyone else," Quinn teased, nudging her in the ribs. "Well my two laps are almost up, anything else you want to get out while it's just the two of us?

"Tell Brittany, you know I don't like keeping her out of things. I just don't really know what to do. I don't even know if she plays for my team."

"Don't worry about it, we'll make a plan," Quinn assured her. "I'll see you at lunch, Sandbags."

"Catch ya later, Tubbers."

* * *

After morning practice, Santana stood at her locker gathering her things for her first period. She was more tired than usual after those extra laps, and didn't notice when someone came up behind her, wrapping their arms around her waist.

"Mornin sunshine," the gruff voice said. Santana rolled her eyes. She would never admit it to anyone, but a small part of her had hoped it was Dani, which was ridiculous considering they had technically just met _yesterday_.

"Hey Puck," she mumbled, grabbing her textbook out of her locker. Santana and Puck had a unique relationship. Last year they had dated for a bit before Santana came to terms with the fact that she was gay, but she never told him why they had to break things off. He was surprisingly okay with it. They had grown really close and he could tell that Santana was struggling with something, but never brought it up. He knew she would come to him when she was ready. The two of them were still great friends though, feeling really comfortable with each other and knowing they always had each other's backs. Puck rested his chin on Santana's shoulder as she rifled through her bag looking for a pen, arms still around her waist.

"What are you doing Sunday afternoon?" he asked.

"I have Cheerios practice, then after that I should be free."

"Awesome. Me and a bunch of others are going to the mall to hang out. Wanna come?"

"Yeah sure. I'll bring Quinn and Britt too."

"Right on," Puck lifted his head off of her shoulder to look at a new presence that appeared beside them. "Hellooo, who are you?"

"I'm Dani."

Santana's breath caught in her throat, causing her to cough loudly. Puck looked back at Santana, eyebrows raised.

"You okay there, San?"

Santana nodded, waving him off. Puck released his hold on her and turned to face Dani, holding out his hand.

"Noah Puckerman, but you can call me Puck," he introduced himself, giving Dani a wink.

"Nice to meet you Puck. Santana are you okay?" she asked, concerned that Santana hadn't stopped coughing. Puck seemed a little hurt that Dani didn't even acknowledge his legendary "Puckerman charm".

"Yeah I'm good, just...uh...swallowed my gum! Yep, I swallowed it," she managed to get out, a blush heating up her cheeks. Puck looked at her like she had a second head.

"You were chewing gum?"

"Yes I was and it was delicious and no you can't have any so don't even bother," she glared at him.

"You know, they say gum will stay in your stomach for seven years if you swallow it."

Puck and Santana both looked at Dani. She didn't even notice because she was looking at the pictures in Santana's locker. They both looked at each other, Puck with his eyebrows raised, Santana with her famous death glare aimed at the boy. Puck mouthed "You got some 'splainin to do" and pointed at Dani. Santana whacked him right in the stomach, causing him to splutter. Dani turned around to look at them, Puck holding his stomach and Santana with a triumphant grin on her face.

"So uh, I'm gonna go now..." Puck glanced at Dani before looking at Santana. "Hey San can I borrow a pencil? I broke all of mine. Again."

"Ugh you dumbass. How many times do I have to tell you that you can't use pencils as darts, or a mini bow and arrow, or whatever the hell it is you do with them," she chastised, handing him a couple pencils. She knew they would all either be broken, lost, or set on fire by the end of tomorrow.

"You're the best! See you in glee." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and walked to his class, still holding his stomach.

"Sorry about him," Santana mumbled, looking at her shoes. She looked up at Dani, and noticed her normally larger than life smile had gotten a little smaller.

"It's okay. He seems...nice."

"Oh come on you don't need to sugarcoat it. That boy is a total idiot. A great guy, but still an idiot," Santana laughed, trying to get Dani's smile back. It worked, but not as much as Santana would have liked. Just as she was about to ask Dani what was wrong, Dani pointed at the pictures in her locker.

"Who're they?"

"The two blondes with me in that one are my two best friends Quinn and Brittany. That one is Puck, obviously. The short brunette and the freakishly tall dude is Rachel and Finn. The rest of them are kids from glee club," Santana explained, pointing at various pictures. Most of them were the of Unholy Trinity, but she had a couple glee photos as well. She rarely ever said it out loud, but she loved glee as much as she loved the Cheerios.

"What's glee?"

"Basically, it's synchronized nerd singing. Every week we have an assignment and we have to pick a song that relates to the lesson. We can either do it by ourselves or with others. Throughout the year we have three major competitions as a team; Sectionals, Regionals, and Nationals. We already won our sectionals, so now we're gearing up for regionals."

"So that's what that performance was a couple weeks ago. And anyone can join?"

"As long as you can sing and you perform a song in front of the club, then yeah."

"Interesting..." Dani looked at Santana, smiling. "I might have to check that out."

* * *

Friday after school, Dani waited on the bleachers for Santana to finish practice. Santana had brought her to the glee club that afternoon and she performed her audition song, Natural Woman. To her surprise, she received a standing ovation from everyone in the room, including that Rachel girl Santana had been complaining about earlier.

"_She always gets the good solos and she's so whiny and bossy and my god she never shuts up. If I have to listen to her sing Don't Rain On My Parade one more goddamn time, I swear..."_

"_I dunno, you sound pretty whiny right now," Dani teased, nudging Santana with her shoulder._

"_Oh you just wait. By the end of the week you'll want to go all Lima Heights on her ass too."_

"_I haven't even gotten in yet, I still gotta sing," Dani reminded her. "And what the hell does that even mean?"_

"_Oh don't worry you will. Your voice is pretty much the best thing ever, they'd be stupid not to see it." She didn't notice Dani's massive grin at the compliment. "It means you'll want to kill her too."_

"_I doubt I'll want to kill her."_

"_You'll see. Trust me."_

Dani had a small smile playing on her lips when another body sat down beside her.

"Hey Sant-" she stopped when she saw it wasn't Santana. "Rachel, right?"

"Yes. We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Rachel Berry. And you're Danielle," the small brunette said.

"It's Dani, but thank you Captain Obvious," Dani giggled. She stopped when she noticed Rachel wasn't laughing. "Sorry. Not to be rude, but what do you want?"

"I just wanted to say," Rachel's face broke out into a huge grin, "you have an incredible voice! Seriously, where did that come from? Oh my god you'll be like our secret weapon and we'll definitely take Nationals this year!" She clapped her hands together and engulfed Dani in a hug.

"Berry!"

Rachel let go of Dani and looked to the bottom of the bleachers. Dani saw the momentary flash of panic on her face.

"What are you doing, Berry?" Santana climbed up the bleachers and reached the girls. She looked at Rachel like she had just eaten the last bit of ice cream in town, but when she looked at Dani her features softened, like she was looking at a puppy.

"I was just telling Danielle here how much of an asset she'll be to the team," Rachel stood up and made her way down the bleachers. "I'll see you ladies at rehearsals on Monday."

"It's Dani!" the blonde yelled after her. She chuckled to herself.

Santana sat down next to Dani. She had seen Rachel simply reach over and hug Dani and wondered how she did it so easily. She'd never tell anyone, but in that moment, Santana Lopez was jealous of Rachel Berry.

"What are you still doing here Dani?" Santana asked the blonde.

"Oh right. Because I stayed after to audition, I needed a ride home, and seeing as you live literally right next door, I was hoping I could catch a ride with you."

"Yeah of course you can. I can take you home every day if you'd like," Santana offered. She had no idea where that burst of confidence came from, but she was glad it happened.

"Would you really? Oh thanks so much Santana!" Dani's face lit up and she wrapped her arms around Santana's neck.

Santana was caught completely by surprise. "This is it, this is how I die," she thought to herself. She hugged Dani back, certain that nothing has ever felt as comfortable as a Dani hug. She never wanted it to end. Unfortunately for her, it had to end, because it was starting to get dark and she needed to get home.

"Come on, let's go," Santana sighed after Dani released her. Focusing on homework was gonna be a bitch.

* * *

**Boom! Okay the song is I'm Into Something Good by The Bird and the Bee. **

**It looks like I'll be posting on Wednesdays, so keep an eye out for new chapters :)**

**You guys are the bomb diggity. Stay awesome, lovelies 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**You guys are the cat's pajamas. Okay who's ready for pure Dantana weekend fun times? I am!**

* * *

Santana pulled into her driveway on Saturday afternoon after Cheerios practice. She was tired and sweaty and hungry and all she wanted was a warm shower.

"Hey Santana."

Her head shot up, finding the source of the voice coming from next door. Dani was sitting on her front porch, guitar in hand. A dorky grin made its way onto Santana's face.

"Hi Dani."

"Are you just getting back from practice?"

"Yep."

"Cool, cool," Dani replied a little nervously. She paused for a moment. "So um, do you wanna, I dunno, hang out for a bit, or something?"

If she wasn't standing in front of Dani, Santana would've done a fist pump, a happy dance, anything to show how excited she was. She tried her hardest to play it cool.

"Yeah sure, let me take a shower and I'll be right over."

"Alright awesome," Dani gave her a smile and headed inside.

"Was she waiting out here for me? No don't be stupid she was playing guitar. You don't even know if she likes girls," Santana mumbled to herself as she walked to the front door. Once inside, it finally registered that she would be spending the afternoon with Dani. Despite her weariness she practically sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom. She took the fastest shower of her life and threw on some clothes. After checking several times to make sure she looked good enough, she made her way over to Dani's house. She knocked on the door and shifted on her feet, suddenly very nervous.

"It's open!" Dani hollered from inside. Santana walked in and made sure to lock the door behind her.

"It's not safe to leave the door unlocked, you know," she playfully yelled. Dani poked her head around a corner down the hall.

"Aw are you worried about me?" she teased. Santana blushed a little, walking towards Dani in what she noticed was the kitchen.

"What are you making?" Santana asked, changing the subject. Dani smirked at the topic change, and gestured to the plate of food in front of her.

"Chocolate chip waffles. Want one?"

"At 3 in the afternoon?" Santana quirked up an eyebrow. Dani shrugged. "Yeah I guess so." She grabbed one and before she knew it, she had eaten the whole plate of five waffles.

"Wow, that was pretty impressive."

"Is that sarcasm I detect, Dani?"

"Absolutely not. I mean that was nowhere near my pancake record, but still."

"What's your record?"

"Ten. In one sitting," Dani grinned proudly. It was quite an achievement in her eyes.

"Looks like I've got some work to do then," Santana grinned back at her. She followed Dani as she left the kitchen and headed up the stairs.

"Good luck with that."

"I'll beat you one day!"

"Keep dreamin, Tana." Santana nearly tripped on the last stair.

"Tana?"

"Is there a problem with Tana?" Dani stopped in front of a door and suddenly looked nervous.

"No no. It's just...no one's ever called me Tana. It's usually Santana, San, or Lopez. Coach calls me Sandbags, but nobody's called me Tana." Dani still looked worried. "I like it." Dani visibly relaxed.

"Okay good. But...Sandbags?" Santana watched as Dani's eyes drifted to her chest. "You know what, I'm not gonna question that one." She gave Santana a cheeky grin as she looked back up to her eyes and opened the door behind her. "This is my room."

Santana almost couldn't breathe again as she saw the way Dani looked at her. "Holy hell," she thought as she followed the blonde. Dani plopped herself on the bed and let Santana look around.

Dani's room wasn't very big, but it felt homey. Across from the door was a fairly large bay window and window seat, covered in cushions. To her right was a closet with sliding mirror doors taking up half the wall, a dresser with some drawers open and clothes spilling out onto the floor, and a door leading to a bathroom. The room spread out to her left, and she walked further in to see the rest of it. The wall with the window and the opposite wall with the door were painted blue, and the wall with the dresser and the opposite wall were painted green. The headboard of Dani's bed was pressed to the blue wall near the window, and faced down towards the opposite blue wall, pushed against the green wall. Next to the headboard was a small little nightstand with a switch lamp. At the end of the bed was a small bookcase. The top of the bookcase and the first two shelves were trinkets, books, and CDs. The bottom shelf had a guitar amp and a box full of binders. The space between the book case and the opposite wall created a nice little corner where Dani put her instruments. She had two guitar stands against the green wall, one with an acoustic guitar and one with a red bass guitar, another acoustic guitar and a ukulele hung on the green wall, an electric piano against the blue wall, and five guitar cases in a rack next to the piano. Santana only saw three guitars out, so she assumed the other two had guitars in them. She had no idea Dani was so musical. The blonde was obviously an amazing singer, but she didn't realize she also played instruments. Santana smiled and sat down in the dark blue bean bag chair on the floor, looking around at the walls. Most of the walls were covered in band posters, ranging from The Runaways to Bruno Mars. She noticed a couple musical posters and some TV show posters as well.

"What do you think?" Dani questioned.

"I love it. I had no idea you were so musical, D."

"D?"

"You chose Tana, I choose D."

"Fair enough. Yeah I bought most of those myself. The guitar on the wall and the piano were gifts, but the rest I earned with my own blood, sweat, and tears," she joked.

"Aren't instruments kind of expensive?"

"Most of them are second hand. That's why the acoustic in the stand has a huge crack in the headstock and one of the ones in the cases has a dent in it."

"Oh okay. Well they're really cool. I don't have the patience to learn instruments. I just get frustrated and that never ends well," Santana laughed. She got up and pulled one of the binders out of the box on the bookcase and sat back in the bean bag chair, looking through it. "What's this?"

"Those are songs I wrote." Santana looked up at Dani.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's the best way I know of to truly express myself."

"Can you play me one?"

"Like right now?"

"No, tomorrow. Yes right now!" Dani giggled at Santana's sarcasm.

"Alright fine," Dani got up off the bed. She picked up the acoustic guitar in the stand. "This was my first guitar. I bought it all on my own." Santana looked up from the binder. The guitar looked nice, except for the jagged crack in the headstock. "I call it my little Frankenstein guitar," Dani chuckled. Santana looked at the rest of the guitar. It was a nice natural color, and Dani had put a couple stickers on it. One was Spiderman, one said "In-N-Out Hamburgers", and one said "I Like It DERBY".

"What's In-N-Out?" Santana asked.

"Only _the_ best burger place on the west coast!"

"Okay, so what does the other one mean?"

"Before we moved here I lived in Texas, and I played roller derby."

"Is that the thing in that Ellen Page movie _Whip It_?"

"Exactly. It's my favorite sport," Dani said with a huge smile.

"You'll have to show me sometime," Santana grinned. "Okay play me this one," she said, handing the binder to Dani.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Unless you want me to pick a different one..." Santana trailed off.

"No this is fine. I just haven't played it in a while." Dani began to strum her guitar. Santana sat mesmerized.

_**What did I do to deserve this?**_

_**Tell me the truth and don't lie**_

_**You're pretty good at that but, no not this time**_

_**You walk around like you run the world,**_

_**Running your mouth, and talking about me now,**_

_**They think that you're the perfect girl,**_

_**They're gonna see everything so get back**_

Santana felt her stomach twist up in knots.

_**It's gonna come back around**_

_**You know that this town is just too small **_

_**And I'm too tall to take this again**_

_**You're just too adverse but I got news**_

_**You know you're just gonna lose**_

_**Everything and everyone that mean so much to you**_

She could practically feel the anger in Dani's voice.

_**I'm feeling bad for,**_

_**You are alone and nobody cares that you are**_

_**One look into your eyes,**_

_**Easy to see what you could be but you're not**_

_**I say it's time that you give in,**_

_**Since it was real, you cannot fulfill, you're over**_

_**You feel your heart beat deep down**_

_**Ignoring the shame of causing this pain,**_

_**Just get out**_

_**It's gonna come back around**_

_**You know that this town is just too small **_

_**And I'm too tall to take this again**_

_**You're just too adverse but I got news**_

_**You know you're just gonna lose**_

_**Everything and everyone that mean so much to you.**_

_**You keep hearing everything that people say**_

_**And you cant take the pain another day**_

_**It's coming back around**_

_**I told you this town was just too small**_

_**You're just too adverse but you can't stop now**_

_**It's gonna come back around**_

_**And around and around and around and around**_

_**Yeah yeah**_

_**It's gonna come back around**_

_**You know that this town is just too small and I'm too tall**_

_**To take this, take this again**_

_**You're just too adverse but I've got news**_

_**You know you're just gonna lose**_

_**Everything and everyone that mean so much to you**_

Dani finished playing and put the guitar on the bed behind her.

"Wow, D. That was really good. Seriously," Santana praised.

"Thanks. It sounds better on an electric guitar, but that takes effort and I'm lazy," Dani joked.

"You said that songwriting helps you get your emotions out, right?" Dani nodded, wary of where this was going. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to make you feel like that?" Dani let out a sigh.

"Ask me again sometime," she said with a sad smile.

Santana knew that was the only answer Dani was willing to give at the moment. She wanted to know more, but she respected the blonde's request. She looked down at her hands, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Okay. I'll hold you to it though," she gave Dani a small smile. Dani let out a laugh.

"Deal."

They both jumped at hearing the front door slam shut.

"Do you think it's a robber?" Santana whispered, acting frightened.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit what do we do?!" Dani whisper yelled back at her. Santana had never heard Dani curse like that before, and found it adorable. She couldn't help but laugh at the panic on the blonde's face.

"Relax D, I locked it when I came in. It's probably your parents," she giggled. Dani's face went from panicked, to relieved, to pissed in the span of about two seconds, making Santana laugh even harder.

"What the fuck, Santana! I thought we were gonna die!" Dani launched herself at Santana. Santana threw her arms up, laughing uncontrollably. Dani sat on Santana's knees so she couldn't move her legs, and managed to grab both of her wrists in one hand. "You're so gonna get it for that."

"Aw D, what happened to Tana?" Santana managed to breathe out in her laughter. "What are you gonna do, tickle me?"

"You lost your Tana privileges when you decided to scare the shit out of me!" Dani smirked at the girl below her. She leaned in so her face was mere inches away from Santana's. "Maybe I will." Santana's heart skipped a beat at how close Dani was, but became worried at the devilish look that crossed her face.

"Wait no I'm so-"

"Nope you asked for this!" Dani began tickling Santana's sides, keeping a firm grip on her hands and she squirmed around, trying to get away from the source of the tickles. Dani was still sitting on her knees, so she had no way to get out. Dani doubled her efforts as Santana began kicking her feet out, laughing as Santana struggled to free herself.

"...sorry...please...can't...breathe..." Santana gasped out. Dani continued for a few more seconds, then released Santana and moved to sit on the floor next to the bean bag chair, still laughing. Santana rolled off the chair to the side opposite Dani and curled up into a ball, trying to get her breathing under control. "You...suck..."

"You'll know better next time, huh Tana?" Dani teased, sitting in the chair. Santana looked over at her and glared.

"Oh hells no, that is _my _chair!" She got up and sat on top of Dani, pushing all of her weight down on the blonde.

"Get up!" Dani huffed.

"Nope. You stole my spot."

"It's my chair!"

"Not anymore."

"Ugh you suck!" Santana laughed, and reached down behind her and began tickling Dani. "Wait no stop I already can't breathe you're making it worse! SANTANA!" Dani yelled through her laughter. She reached up and began tickling Santana's stomach again.

"Okay okay we'll both stop on the count of 3. 1..."

"2..."

"3." They both stopped tickling each other. Santana left her hands down at Dani's sides, and Dani left her hands on Santana's stomach. Santana looked down at Dani's hands and reveled in the feeling of having Dani's arms around her. She could get used to this. While she traced Dani's hands with her eyes, she noticed a bracelet on her right wrist. It was small and simple; two cords connecting a small metal rectangle with rounded edges. Santana picked up Dani's hand to read it; Hakuna Matata.

"I'm guessing you like Disney movies?"

"Well yeah who doesn't, but it's also a great saying. "No worries for the rest of your days". It's just a nice reminder, you know? Plus _The Lion King_ is my favorite Disney movie."

"Me too," Santana smiled. "Just above-"

"Dani! We're home!" Dani's parents shouted from downstairs.

"Hi! I have a friend over! We're leaving in a few!" She shouted back.

"Okay!"

Santana pushed herself off of Dani and sat on the floor facing her, allowing her to sit up.

"We're leaving?"

"Yeah. Saturday evenings my dad catches up on all the sports he missed at work during the week, so there's a lot of yelling at the TV that echoes around the house. It's hard to hear yourself think," Dani explained, picking up a jacket. "We could go to the park or something?"

"Let's just go to my house. My parents are out," Santana suggested. "Plus it's getting cold. Fall and winter around here are not the most enjoyable to spend outside when you have a nice warm house."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," Dani grinned. She walked over to her nightstand and moved some things around, frowning slightly. "Wait where's my phone? Oh I know, I left it in the kitchen. Come on!" She grabbed Santana's arm and dragged her downstairs to the kitchen. Santana wanted to protest at being pulled along like a child, but she was stopped by the warm, tingly feeling left by Dani's hand on her arm. She was brought out of her daze when she heard her name.

"Mom, Dad, this is Santana. She lives next door." Santana gave a little wave.

"Nice to meet you, Santana. I'm David, and this is my wife Margaret," Dani's dad said. He stood up to shake Santana's hand. He was a tall, relatively lean man with wavy dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Santana was a bit intimidated, but shook his hand anyways. Dani's mom came over to them as well. She was about Santana's height, with red hair and green eyes. She smiled warmly at Santana and shook her hand.

"Will you ladies be joining us for dinner?"

"I dunno Mom, I'll call you and let you know," Dani reached for her phone on the counter. "Okay we're leaving now bye!" She pulled Santana out of the kitchen and out the door.

"They seem lovely," Santana offered up as they walked towards her house.

"Yeah they're nice people." Santana thought that was a weird choice of words.

"It's odd, you don't look anything like them. Like at all," Santana chuckled. She stopped when she noticed Dani stiffen a bit.

"Yeah. Weird, right?" Dani forced out a laugh, but Santana knew it was fake. She wanted to ask, but remembered Dani's request from earlier. She sighed and opened up her door, motioning for Dani to walk in.

"What a gentleman!" Dani teased, a smile on her face once more.

"Anything for you, M'Lady!" Santana bowed low, laughing at Dani. She followed Dani inside and closed the door. "So what do you want to do? We can watch TV, make food, I dunno."

"I want to see your room."

"Why? It's not special like yours. It's just a room."

"I don't care. You saw mine, now I wanna see yours."

"Wanky," Santana smirked.

"I'm sorry, what?" Dani looked confused. "Oh wait," realization dawned on her. "That's not what I...ugh get it together you perv." Santana laughed as Dani walked down the hallway.

"Uh, D?"

"What?"

"My room's this way," Santana motioned to the stairs behind her.

"I knew that." Dani began walking up the stairs.

"You most certainly did not."

"Yes I did," Dani stopped on the stairs in front of Santana and turned to face her, bringing her face level with Santana's. "I come in while you're sleeping and eat all your food." She tapped her finger on Santana's nose and continued up the stairs. It took Santana a couple seconds to realize that Dani wasn't there anymore. She trudged up after the blonde, who had turned left at the landing.

"Dani."

"What?"

"That way," Santana pointed to the right.

"I know," Dani walked past Santana and stopped at the second door.

"Dani."

"What?"

"That one," Santana pointed to the third door.

"I know," Dani walked to the right door.

"Of course you do. Silly me," Santana rolled her eyes as she opened the door and walked inside. She laid on her bed while Dani looked around. The door was in the middle of the wall, so she started with the left half of the room. Santana's bed was pushed against the wall opposite the door, with the headboard on the left wall. Next to the headboard was a small nightstand with boombox on top. The other part of the left wall was her closet, with fold out doors, and a door that led to her bathroom. A full mirror was on the back wall, facing Santana's bed. At the foot of the bed was a dresser, the top covered in clothes. Santana was just as messy as Dani. Across from the bed on the right wall was a window, looking out towards Dani's house. Next to the window was a desk, textbooks and papers everywhere. The room was painted a deep red, which Dani thought fit Santana perfectly, and Santana only had a couple posters up. A lot of space was taken up with pictures of her and her friends and her family. Dani noticed a poster and she didn't recognize the singer on it.

"Who's that?" she asked, pointing at the poster in question.

"Kate Nash. She's one of my faves. British, super sassy, really clever."

"I guess you'll have to show me sometime," Dani replied, mimicking Santana's earlier words.

"Okay I will," Santana smiled.

"Now show me your _thing_."

"What?" Santana sat up.

"Not like that, perv. I showed you that song I know I play, but only two, including you, know I write. It's my secret _thing. _Everyone has one. Your turn," Dani said with a smug smile on her face. Santana was thrilled that Dani had already included her in an important part of her life.

"Um, I dance?"

"You're a cheerleader, of course you can dance."

"I'm in glee?"

"Everyone in school knows that."

Santana groaned. She knew exactly what her _thing_ was, but the last person she wanted to tell was Dani. She didn't want to the blonde to think she was a total weirdo just yet.

"You know what it is, don't you?" Dani crossed her arms.

"...yeah..."

"Well come on, I'm not getting any younger!"

Santana took a deep breath and stood up, walking right to Dani.

"You tell anyone about this, and I will ends you," she threatened, pointing her finger in the blonde's face. Dani was unfazed.

"Got it."

Santana walked over to her closet and opened it. Dani seemed unsure of what was about to happen. She was about to say something when Santana slid her shoe rack to the left. Now Dani was _really_ confused. She was staring at the back of a closet. What's so secret about that? But apparently Santana wasn't done. She knelt down and pulled up the corner floorboards in the closet and pulled out a large box. She walked over to her bed and placed the box in her lap, motioning for Dani to join her. When Dani sat down beside her, Santana looked straight into Dani's eyes, completely serious.

"You can tell no one of this. Seriously. The only people who know are Quinn, Brittany, and Puck." Dani's face fell a bit at the mention of Puck, but she was glad Santana was including her in something this important. "You have to promise me you won't tell a soul."

"I swear on my life and all of my instruments."

"Okay," Santana paused for a second. "Okay." She gathered the courage she needed and opened the box, tilting it so Dani could see inside.

"Oh. My. God."

* * *

**WHAT'S IN THE BOX?! Please don't kill me, I've always wanted to do a cliffhanger :P leave a message saying what you think is in the box and the closest guess gets a teaser for the next chapter! woo! stay ****awesome you lil nuggets**

**song is Back Around by Demi Lovato**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello lovelies! you guys are the bomb dot com! How has your week been? Mine's been great; i got a new tattoo (you who follow me on tumblr might have seen it). Okay so only two of you, butter-bomb and NINAvanS, scored the teaser. Who's ready to find out what happens for the rest of the day?! let's go!**

* * *

"_Oh. My. God."_

Dani picked up the box from Santana's lap to take a closer look at its contents as Santana buried her face in her hands.

"I know. It's so embarrassing. Ugh why did I even show you..."

"How many do you have?"

"...I lost count..."

"Are you serious right now?" Dani couldn't help the teasing grin on her face. She pulled one out of the box.

"I wish I wasn't. Now you know why you have to keep this quiet."

"Oh yeah I totally get it. We wouldn't want anyone knowing that Santana Lopez is a top notch nerd!" Dani started laughing.

"Oh shut up Dani," Santana grumbled as she took the box back. "I'm not a nerd."

"Um, that big ass box of Batman comic books would like to disagree with you," Dani joked.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up. And give me that!" Santana reached for the comic in Dani's hand, gently putting it back in the box. She closed the lid and walked over to the closet, carefully placing the box back under the floorboards. After rearranging everything, she made her way back to the bed and sat next to Dani, who had laid backwards and was staring at the ceiling.

"How did that not-so-little secret collection come about?" Dani asked, looking over at Santana.

"I was in a convenience store on vacation and saw one by the magazine rack," Santana shrugged. "This was when the movie remakes were coming out. I was planning on seeing the movie with Puck," Dani frowned slightly, "but I didn't know anything about Batman, so I looked at it hoping to get more info on the movie, and was hooked."

"So how do you keep your collection a secret? I mean Lima isn't a big place, you'd most likely run into someone you know in any store."

"I...uh...oh god, you're gonna think I'm crazy, but...once a month I go to the comics shop two towns over." Santana threw her body back on the bed, landing next to Dani. "I can't help it! Batman's pretty much the coolest dude ever! And the artwork is incredible..." she felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. "Oh god I am a nerd. I'm a total nerd," she groaned. Dani giggled, causing Santana to smile. She loved hearing Dani's laugh.

"A totally _cute_ nerd." Santana felt her heart stop. "But yeah, still a nerd," Dani teased.

"Ugh whatever," Santana reached over and lightly hit Dani's arm. "Batman's cooler than you'll ever be."

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused."

"Ha ha, very funny. Batman may be cooler than me, but he's nowhere _near_ as cool as," she paused, leaning over to whisper in Santana's ear, "_Superman."_

If Dani hadn't mentioned the Man of Steel, Santana probably would have melted right then and there. Even so, she had to admit that having Dani whisper in her ear gave her the worst butterflies she'd ever experienced. With the butterflies raging, she sat straight up and glared at Dani.

"You. Take. That. Back."

"Oops, too late. Already said it. And you can't take back the truth. Superman will always be one step ahead of Batman," Dani gave Santana a wink.

"Danielle you take that back or so help me..." Dani shot up at the mention of her full name, but couldn't help her laughter at the sight of Santana's deadly serious face.

"Did you just use my full name against me?"

"You lost _both_ your nickname privileges when you insulted Batman," Santana crossed her arms and pouted.

"Aw Tana, I'm sorry. I don't take back saying Superman is awesome, but maybe, _just maybe_, Batman is just as awesome." Santana was still pouting, so Dani threw her arms around the brunette's neck, rested her head on her shoulder, and batted her eyelashes. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Santana felt the electricity running through her body as Dani put her arms around her. She thought her heart would beat out of her chest when the blonde put her head on her shoulder. When she turned her head to look at Dani and saw her batting her damn eyelashes, Santana knew there was no way she could ever stay mad at the blonde, even if she tried.

"I suppose..." she sighed, a tiny smile playing on her lips.

"You're the best," Dani squeezed her arms tighter around Santana's shoulders. Santana tentatively wrapped one arm around Dani's lower back and let her hand rest on the blonde's hip.

"Don't you forget it," she grinned.

They stayed like that for a couple minutes. For Santana, it was the best couple minutes she had ever spent with Dani. Of course she enjoyed every second with the blonde, which was weird considering that most people annoyed the shit out of her after fifteen minutes, but this was different. There was no pressure to be anything but herself. She had already revealed her second biggest secret, and Dani hadn't laughed at her. Well, not seriously anyways. And it certainly didn't hurt that the most beautiful girl she had ever laid eyes on was still draped around her shoulders. She wasn't used to people being so touchy with her, but in that moment, Santana was perfectly content.

"Hey Tana?"

"Hmmm?

"Is that the window you use to get on the roof?" Santana looked at the window across from her bed.

"Yeah, why?" Dani lifted her head off of Santana's shoulder to look at her.

"Can we go out there?" Santana smiled. She liked hearing her and Dani together as a "we".

"Sure thing. Construction finished this morning," she stood up and walked towards the window, Dani following. Santana opened the window and stepped out onto the roof. She turned around and, to her own surprise, held her hand out to help Dani through the window. The blonde took hold of the offered hand and climbed out beside Santana. She looked around and immediately shuffled closer to Santana.

"Shit, I didn't realize it was so high up." Santana faced her, concern etched on her face.

"We can go back inside if you'd like?" Dani took a deep breath and squeezed Santana's hand, which she had yet to let go of.

"No, I'll be okay. Can we sit down though?" Santana's breath caught in her throat as Dani squeezed her hand.

"S-Sure," she stuttered, mentally berating herself. She led Dani to the spot she usually sat in, the blonde keeping a firm grip on her hand. They sat down close together, and Santana was elated when Dani didn't let go of her hand.

"So why did you move to Bumfuck, Ohio?" Santana asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. Dani sighed and let go of Santana's hand, at which the brunette frowned, and played with her shoelaces. She sat in silence for a couple minutes before speaking.

"I always had problems with getting bullied, starting in the third grade. It was so bad I had to transfer schools in the sixth grade and again for freshman year. When I...um...when I came out a couple years ago, it got worse. I thought I could handle it, but this last year was basically hell. I dated a girl who was still in the closet in the beginning of sophomore year, but she got freaked out and broke up with me. She told the whole school I came onto her and forced her to do things against her will, and everyone believed her. I didn't, I swear, but no one listened. The bullying got worse and worse, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I asked my parents if we could move somewhere, anywhere else. We have family a couple hours from here and my dad's job let him relocate, so this is where we ended up."

Santana couldn't believe it. Dani was gay? Halle-fucking-lujah! But then the rest of her story sunk in. Who in the actual fuck could be mean to this girl? She was gorgeous, funny, intelligent, talented, kind, and just all around wonderful. Santana felt her jaw clench and her hands ball up into fists. She wanted to find every single person who ever had a bad word to say about the blonde and introduce them to Snix, who hadn't made an appearance since freshman year when someone made fun of Brittany. Nobody messed with either of them after that, or anyone else Santana was close to. She looked over at Dani. The blonde looked so small with her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knee, a stray tear making its way down her cheek. Santana reached over and wiped away the tear, wrapping her other arm around Dani's shoulders.

"Dani, I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have had to go through that."

Dani leaned into Santana, resting her head on the brunette's chest. Santana laid her head on top of Dani's, listening to her quiet sniffles as a few more tears escaped. After a few minutes, Dani spoke.

"Thank you."

"For what, D?" Dani pulled back and turned to face Santana.

"For listening, for not judging, for being here. Just, thanks," she looked down, a small smile on her lips. Santana smiled back.

"Anytime," she paused, contemplating her next question. "You said you were bullied before you came out...why?" Dani let out a sigh.

"Ask me again sometime," she replied, turning her head away. "I don't really want to talk about more sad things. Not today at least." Santana nodded, disheartened, and looked down, playing with a small hole in her jeans.

"Hey." Santana didn't look up. "Tana." She still didn't move. "Santana look at me." Dani brought her hand under Santana's chin, bringing the brunette's eyes up to meet her own. "I promise I will tell you. Just give me some time. I have a hard time trusting people, but I know I can trust you more than nearly everyone I know. I have no idea why. I've already told you two incredibly important things about myself that _very_ few people know, and we just formally met not even four days ago. I want to tell you. Just be patient with me. Please?"

Santana looked into those brown eyes she loved so much. She saw so much sincerity and hope that she couldn't do anything but smile and agree.

"Okay."

Dani smiled and dropped her hand from Santana's chin. She turned back and scooted her body closer to Santana's. Santana was more than happy with the close contact, but one thing still danced around in her mind.

"Who else knows? I know earlier you said that I was the second person to know that you write, and I assume not very many people know about the bullying."

"Most of my family knows about the whole deal, and since I didn't have many friends in school I didn't have anyone else to tell. My derby team was really nice, but most of us didn't really talk outside of practices and matches."

"Okay, but who is the other person who knows that you write music?" Dani hesitated to answer. She abruptly stood up.

"I'm getting cold, can we go back inside? I'm hungry too," she said lamely, giving Santana a half smile. Santana sighed and pushed herself up.

"Yeah let's go." She walked behind Dani and mouthed "ask me again sometime" to herself. Santana knew that opening up was hard, especially to someone new. Hell, she still hasn't told Dani that she's gay too. She had no idea how Dani had the confidence to tell a near stranger something like that. Santana was so happy that the blonde trusted her so quickly, but she wished that she could know Dani more. That girl was still a mystery.

The two of them headed inside and made their way to the kitchen. Dani insisted on leading the way, ending up in the downstairs bathroom. Santana laughed at her the whole time, letting the blonde continually walk into the wrong rooms. Eventually she made it to the kitchen, and fist pumped like she'd won the lottery. Santana couldn't help the smile on her face as Dani sat on the counter and watched her make popcorn. When it was ready, they headed into the family room. Dani walked around the small coffee table and plopped herself down on the couch as Santana handed her the popcorn, walking over to the bookcase next to the TV filled with DVD's.

"What do you wanna watch?" Santana asked the blonde.

"Something...silly." Santana looked around for a minute, and pulled out a case.

"How do you feel about 80's comedies?"

"They're usually the best." Santana grinned.

"Awesome. Have you ever seen _Airplane_?" Dani laughed and clapped her hands.

"Oh my god I love that movie! 'Surely you can't be serious!' 'I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.' Yes let's watch it!" Santana chuckled as Dani recited the lines. "That was so cute," she thought.

"Okay okay we'll watch it."

Santana put the movie in and made her way over to the couch. She sat down next to Dani and put the popcorn bowl in between them. Half an hour in, she looked over at Dani and watched as the blonde brought her hand up to her open mouth to eat some popcorn and missed, dropping the kernels onto her chest. Santana's body started shaking in silent laughter, hoping Dani wouldn't notice.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Dani grumbled, picking the kernels off of her chest and throwing them at Santana.

"I kinda want to talk about it," Santana laughed. She stopped laughing as one of the kernels hit her on the forehead. She grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it at Dani. The blonde gasped as she was showered in popcorn.

"Oh it it _so_ on!" she exclaimed, tossing a handful at Santana. She grabbed another handful and ran behind the leather chair in the corner of the room.

"Like Donkey Kong!" Santana dodged the flying popcorn, grabbed the bowl, and started chasing Dani around the house, throwing popcorn everywhere. She cornered Dani back in the family room on the couch. Dani threw her hands up in front of her face, yelling "Truce! Truce!" through her laughter. Santana dumped what was left of the popcorn onto her head and fell back on to the couch next to her. Dani calmed her laughter to giggles, eating the popcorn still on her. Santana picked some off of her own shirt.

"Great, now we're out of food!" Dani whined.

"I can order a pizza?" Santana suggested.

"Ooh yes please. I don't really care what kind."

"Okay." Santana stood up and made her way into the kitchen, grabbing the house phone. As she called the pizza place and ordered, she looked around at the mess she and Dani had created. Popcorn was everywhere, some was smushed into the carpet, a couple chairs were tipped over, and pillows were flung far from their original resting places. Santana grinned. She hadn't done anything as childish as a food fight since elementary school, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Dani made her feel like she could just cut loose and be silly. It was something she never felt around other people. Everyone expected her to have all of her shit together all the time, but whenever she was with Dani, she didn't feel any expectations other than to just _be_.

Santana finished placing their order and walked back to the couch. Dani was in the middle, still eating stray bits of popcorn. Santana sat on Dani's left and leaned back against the armrest, bringing her feet up next to her. They watched the movie for a couple minutes before Dani turned to face Santana.

"You can stretch out, if you want," she offered, leaning back into the couch and holding her arms up, motioning for Santana to lay her legs across her lap. Santana hesitated for a moment before moving her legs, her calves resting on Dani's lap and her feet hanging over the couch on Dani's right side. The blonde dropped her arms on top of Santana's legs, turning back to face the TV. Santana tried to refocus on the movie, but found herself looking back at Dani's arms on her legs, almost as if she couldn't believe they were actually there. How was this girl so confident? Santana would never have been brave enough to try something like that. Then again, she never thought she would be brave enough to offer her hand to the blonde, but she'd done that just a couple hours ago. Dani was having a strange effect on her, and she found that she liked it. She sat staring at Dani's arms, before noticing Dani move her hand to play with the seam on Santana's jeans. She smiled, and looked back at the TV.

The doorbell rang, and Santana let out a groan at having to move. Dani gave her an encouraging slap to the knee.

"Get up lazy, I want my food!"

"_Your _food?" Santana glared at the blonde.

"What I meant was," Dani put on her best puppy dog eyes, "Tana can you pretty please get up and go get that delicious pizza from the lovely person outside so we won't starve?" Santana tried her hardest to not give in, but whether either girl knew it or not, Dani already had Santana wrapped around her finger.

"Ugh fine," she grumbled as she stood up. "You're lucky I like you, D."

As Santana headed towards the door, she could've sworn she heard Dani whisper to herself, "Yeah, I am." She brushed it off, thinking her ears were playing tricks on her. She paid the pizza guy and made her way back to Dani. Bringing the coffee table closer, she put down the pizza box and opened it, taking a slice and handing it Dani, then grabbing one for herself. They ate in relative silence, the only sounds coming from the TV and the occasional giggles the girls got as they watched. When they had finished, Dani drew her legs up under her and gently rested her head on Santana's shoulder as the last few minutes of the movie played. Santana smiled and tried to calm her racing heart. Dani was obviously a cuddly person, and that was something Santana could get used to. "Okay yeah she's gay, but you don't even know if she's into you! And you still haven't told her yet..." Of course her stupid brain had to ruin the moment. "I'll tell her soon," she promised herself.

The movie ended and the girls began cleaning up the remnants of the pizza. When they had put the last couple slices in the fridge, Santana turned to Dani.

"So, what do you want to do now?"

"Can we just go hang out in your room?"

Santana motioned for Dani to walk ahead of her.

"Oh no. You can go first this time."

"Can I now? I thought you knew where everything was," Santana teased with a smug smile.

"Yeah yeah," Dani rolled her eyes as she followed Santana to her room. Santana sat down on the edge of her bed, and Dani laid down on the floor, arms behind her head.

"So how'd you end up on the Cheerios?"

"Because I'm awesome."

"No you're not, dude, don't lie," Dani teased in a sing-song voice.

"No I'm serious. The summer before freshman year started, I was at a cheer camp with Quinn and Britt and at the end of camp we were recommended to Sue. We were going to try out for the Cheerios anyways, but the recommendation sealed our places on the squad," Santana explained. She looked down at Dani. "Why are you on the floor? There's plenty of room up here, and there's a chair literally right next to you." Dani looked over at Santana.

"Because I'm awesome," she replied with a cheeky smile.

"I don't need you, cause I'm neato," Santana sang to herself, just loud enough for Dani to hear. The blonde sat up.

"And I beat you, cause I'm awesome?" Santana's head snapped up, looking at Dani. They both grew wide smiles, and Santana rushed to plug her iPod into her boombox. She cranked up the volume and sang as loud as she could.

_**I got a new style**_

_**And I'm walking right down your street**_

Dani joined in.

_**I'm on your speed dial, you know**_

_**The one everyone wants to meet**_

Dani sang alone.

_**I always tell you how cool you dress**_

Santana.

_**It's cause I'm fashionably socialized**_

Dani.

_**You're smarter, better, no, the best**_

Santana.

_**Just look at me!**_

They sang together.

_**I'm a leader, I'm a winner, and I'm cleaner Cause I'm awesome I don't need you cause I'm neato and I beat you Cause I'm awesome That's right They say I'm gifted Well I'm a certified prodigy I'm gonna own you I'm gonna bring you to your knees I always tell you how smart you are It's cause my brain is really supersized You're an academic superstar Just look at me**_

Santana picked up her hairbrush, using it as a microphone, and danced around with Dani._** I'm a leader, I'm a winner, and I'm cleaner Cause I'm awesome I don't need you cause I'm neato and I beat you Cause I'm awesome Got a career plan Gonna make lots of money I bought a self tan Don't I look healthy? I always tell you how great you smell It's cause I'm naturally deodorized You're stronger, faster and can spell Just look at me I'm a leader, I'm a winner, and I'm cleaner Cause I'm awesome I don't need you cause I'm neato and I beat you Cause I'm awesome That's right**_

Finishing the song, they both fell over onto the floor laughing.

"How do you know that song?" Santana asked, once she got her breathing under control.

"I listen to a lot of not very well known artists. How do you know it?" Dani questioned.

"It was on a TV show I really like."

"Oh cool which o-"

"MIJA! Why is there popcorn all over the floor?!"

"Oh shit!" Santana stood up and raced to the landing. "Un momento por favor!" she shouted to her mother. She turned around to find Dani gathering her things. "Wait where are you going?"

"My mom just texted me and told me to come home," Dani said sadly. She looked up with a small grin. "You didn't tell me you speak Spanish though."

"What, _Santana Lopez_ wasn't obvious enough for you?" Santana teased.

"Ah, got me on that one."

The girls headed downstairs, meeting Santana's mom. Santana introduced Dani, then walked her to the door to say goodbye. She really didn't want Dani to leave. She wanted to spend more time with the blonde, getting to know her. Unfortunately, she would have to wait until Monday. Unless...

"Dani wait!"

Dani stopped at the end of the driveway as Santana jogged over to her.

"Do you want to go to the mall with me tomorrow? A bunch of people are going, and you can meet Quinn and Brittany and hang out with us and get to know Lima a little more and-"

"Santana!" Santana stopped rambling, mentally kicking herself. "Yeah I'd love to," Dani smiled.

"Awesome! Okay. I'm gonna go back and clean up _your_ mess, so...night." Santana turned around to walk back inside when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Hold up. First of all," Dani turned Santana back around to face her, raising an eyebrow. "we _both_ made that mess. And second, can I have your number? You know, so you can tell me when we're leaving and where to be and you're like the first real friend I've made here and-"

"Dani!" It was Dani's turn to stop rambling. "Of course," Santana replied, holding out her hand for Dani's phone. She was overjoyed. To be honest, it hadn't really crossed her mind to get the blonde's number, so she was glad Dani had thought of it. At least one of them had a functioning brain. She put her number in Dani's phone and handed it back.

"Okay well I'll catch you later then." Before Santana could react, Dani gave her a quick hug and made her way back to her house. Santana remained where Dani had left her, still recovering from the sneak attack hug. "It wasn't a sneak attack, people hug all the time, dumbass," she told herself, heading back inside.

Santana spent the rest of the evening cleaning up the disaster zone she and Dani had created. While she loathed cleaning, she remembered what had led to this mess, and couldn't stop the smile creeping onto her face. She got ready for bed, replaying the day over and over in her mind; the laughter, the sharing, the little touches. She laid down, trying to sleep, but was way too excited for another "Dani Day" tomorrow. At around 11, she got a text from an unknown number.

**From: Unknown**

**Night nerd. See you tomorrow :P**

Santana felt butterflies erupt in her stomach as a huge grin made its way onto her face. She saved Dani's number and drafted a text. "Okay be cool, be cool."

**To: Dani**

**Night D. I'll text you when to be ready :)**

That was "being cool", wasn't it? Santana hoped it was. That was about as cool as she could get right now. She set her alarms for tomorrow, already groaning at the amount of time she would have to do other things before she could see Dani. She drifted off with her phone clutched in her hand, dreaming of the slightly less mysterious girl next door.

* * *

**And there you have it! Maybe we'll see more of nerdtana in the future…who knows ;) I quite like that: nerdtana. Yay nicknames! Okay i enjoy talking to you beautiful people so tell me your 3 favorite nicknames for either yourself or someone you know. Mine are, for myself: SeaWaffle (waffle for short), iPod, and Polar Bear. **

**Let me know what you liked, what you didn't like, come say hi, tell me a joke, talk about your favorite day of the week, whatever floats your boat :)**

**song is Because I'm Awesome by The Dollyrots**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there lovelies! Seems like you guys enjoy Nerdtana as much as I do; never fear, we'll see plenty of her as the story continues :) (ps ThroughTheL00kingGlass I had this chapter written before you mentioned HP so it was perfect. you'll see). Okay let's get right on to Santana's next Dani Day!**

* * *

Sunday's Cheerios practice was the longest three hours of Santana's life. She spent the first fifteen minutes of stretches and warm-ups fangirling to Quinn and Brittany about her day with Dani yesterday. For the other two hours and forty-five minutes, she impatiently awaited the "You ladies are lazy and untalented and I can't stand to look at you anymore, go home!" rant from Sue that accompanied the end of every practice. Before leaving, she arranged with Quinn and Brittany to pick them up at Quinn's house in an hour to head to the mall. Once that was out of the way, she ran to her car and pulled out her phone.

**To: Dani  
Hey D practice just finished. be ready in 45**

**To: Puckasaurus  
Yo Puck where should we meet you?**

She put her phone back in her bag and drove home, anxious to get out of her sweaty uniform and see Dani. Maybe not necessarily in that order, but still. When she got out of her car, she could faintly hear the sounds of guitar playing coming from Dani's house. Santana smiled, and made her way inside her own house. Walking up to her room, she fished around her bag for her phone and saw she had two new messages.

**From: Dani  
Okay awesome i'll be waiting :)**

Santana's heart fluttered at the smiley face. "What the hell, it's just a smiley face. Literally everyone smiles. Okay Squidward doesn't but that's not the point," she rambled to herself. She checked the other message.

**From: Puckasaurus  
Meet us by the fountain. you still bringing Quinn and Britt?**

**To: Puckasaurus  
Got it. yeah and Dani too**

**From: Puckasaurus  
Sweetness. she's the one who auditioned on friday right? i like her ;)**

**To: Puckasaurus  
yes she is. back off Puckerman**

**From: Puckasaurus  
I didn't even do anything!**

**To: Puckasaurus  
yet**

**From: Puckasaurus  
…touché. why do you even care anyways?**

**To: Puckasaurus  
gotta go see you in a bit**

Santana put her phone on her nightstand and hopped in the shower. "If Puck tries anything..." she thought angrily. She got out of the shower and stood in front of her closet, drying her hair. "What in the hell am I gonna wear?" She rifled through her closet, not finding anything she liked. She walked to her dresser and dumped practically all of her clothes onto the floor. "Ugh I have nothing to wear!" she pouted. Sighing, she walked back to the hangers in her closet. Discouraged, she stood in front of the pile of clothes on the floor when a flash of color caught her eye. She picked up a black Van Halen t-shirt with a lion on it, cuffed sleeves, and several different colors on the print. Holding it in her hand she shuffled the pile around, finding red jeans. "Perfect. Now shoes..." she looked at the clothes in her hand. She walked over to her closet and got her black high tops, grabbing one of her favorite black leather jackets hanging in her closet. "Oh yes. This'll do nicely."

Santana finished getting ready with not much time to spare, so she grabbed her keys, wallet, and phone and left the house. Getting in her car, she shuffled around some of the things on her seats to make room for the three girls who would soon be joining her. She pulled into Dani's driveway and laid on the horn, beeping out Happy Birthday until Dani ran out of the house. The blonde sat in the passenger seat and glared at Santana.

"Did it have to be Happy Birthday?"

"Well hello Dani, it is so nice to see you too. Oh no, I've been just fine, had a lovely practice. How was your day? Played guitar? Wow that's wonderful. I'm so glad we can just chat like this," Santana teased. Dani let out an exasperated sigh.

"Hello Santana, how are you, how's your day been, how was practice, what did-"

"Alright alright," Santana rolled her eyes. "Buckle up, we gots to go!" Dani buckled her seatbelt and Santana started driving.

"So where's the mall?"

"It's a little ways away, but we gotta pick up Quinn and Brittany first."

"Ah, the other two thirds of the "Unholy Trinity"." Santana glanced at her quickly.

"How do you know about that?"

"It's not a big town. You hear things."

"What else have you heard?"

"Well, I've heard the glee club are total losers, no argument there," Dani poked Santana's shoulder. "and I've heard Figgins believes in vampires," she laughed. "and I've heard that you, Quinn, and Brittany are not to be messed with."

"Well you just joined, so you're a loser too now," Santana grinned. "But the other two counts I would agree with."

"It's weird."

"I know right? Who believes vampires are real?" Santana chuckled.

"No not that. You."

"Me?" Santana furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Dani turned her body to face Santana. "People say don't mess with you, some say you're a bitch, some say you "rule with an iron fist", but I don't see it."

"In that school, it's kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest. I do what I have to do to protect myself and my friends. If that means putting people in their place every now and then, fine, I'll be the bitch. But not unprovoked."

"Then why are people so scared of you?"

"Back in freshman year, Brittany, Quinn, and I were outside talking, just minding our own business, when this group of juniors came up to us. The leader was in one of Brittany's classes and started making fun of her. Brittany's not the smartest, but she has the biggest heart and one of the most wild imaginations I've ever encountered," Santana smiled. "Anyways, they wouldn't stop making fun of her and calling her names and pushing us around, and Brittany started crying. I've always had some anger problems, but seeing Brittany being treated like that kind of...unleashed the beast, if you will. I may or may not have put the bitch in the hospital..." Santana trailed off, looking over at Dani who was listening intently. "I was suspended for a while, and when I came back _nobody_ messed with me or anyone else I was close to. All I have to do I look intimidating and people back off." She took a deep breath. "I know you had bullying problems and I only know part of why, but I want you to know that no matter what people say, I'm not a bully. I don't push people around for fun. I only get angry when someone I care about isn't being treated right. And believe me when I say I don't enjoy it. I don't like what people think about me. But if it saves a friend from being slushied or laughed at or made fun of or mistreated, then it's worth it." She stopped talking and just focused on the road, nearing Quinn's. She felt Dani shift a bit in her seat.

"I knew you were a softie." What? That was not at all what Santana was expecting. "Outwardly, you have this "I don't give a fuck" attitude, but talking to you, getting to know you these last few days; you are so much more than people see. Your friends are lucky to have you in their lives. Do they even know the sacrifices you make for them?"

"No. It's better if they don't."

"Better for who? You, or them?"

"Both," Santana said wistfully. She pulled into a driveway and stopped the car, honking the horn.

"So you're just gonna let people keep thinking less of you than you deserve?" Dani narrowed her eyes.

"At least they don't think I'm a vampire," Santana halfheartedly joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Before Dani could respond, the back doors opened and Quinn and Brittany slid into the backseat.

"Hey guys what's up?" Santana said over her shoulder to Quinn as she started driving to the mall.

"Not much. Brittany just explained to me how vending machines work. It's a very interesting theory," Quinn turned to face Dani. "Hi I'm Quinn, and this loveable airhead to my left is Brittany. You are...?"

"I'm Dani." Quinn shot a glance at Santana.

"Your hair is two colors." Dani and Quinn looked at Brittany as she stared intensely at Dani's hair. "Are you like that lady from Harry Potter who can change her hair color whenever she wants to? Cause that would be awesome." Dani chuckled.

"I wish I was that cool. No I just dyed my hair."

"You should dye it blue next time." Santana looked at Brittany through the rearview mirror.

"Why blue, Britt?"

"It would look really good with her eyes," Brittany shrugged and looked out the window.

"I just might consider that. Thanks Brittany," Dani smiled.

The rest of the drive to the mall was mostly small talk between the four girls. Santana had the radio turned on low, and at one point Dani changed the channel. Quinn looked at Santana, who simply shrugged and kept driving. The last time someone had tried to change her radio station, she nearly broke their finger. Nobody messes with Santana's music, but she let Dani do it without a second thought. Santana was quiet with that thought for the rest of the drive to the mall. Brittany was the only one talking anyways; something about animals actually being aliens. When they arrived and got out of the car, Quinn grabbed Santana's elbow and pulled her aside. She turned to face Brittany and Dani.

"You two go ahead, I need to ask Santana something real quick." Dani looked confused, but Brittany looped her arm with Dani's and began walking them towards the doors. Quinn faced Santana, a stern look on her face.

"What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" Santana tried to play innocent.

"You know damn well what. Puck was in a splint for two weeks the last time he tried to change the radio in your car!"

"So?"

"So?! You've known this girl for less than a week and you're letting her play with your music! What are you going to do next, show her your collection?" Quinn hissed. Santana looked at the ground.

"I...showed her yesterday," she mumbled. Quinn was shocked.

"A-are you serious? You showed her?" Santana nodded. "Wow."

"Please don't be mad."

"Oh San, I'm not mad." Quinn drew her in for a hug. "No, I'm just concerned." Santana wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist and rested her head on her shoulder. "You've let her in so fast, I just don't want to see you hurt. I know that you protect me and Britt and all your friends, but now it's our turn to protect you. We want you to be happy, but if she hurts you I will _not_ hesitate to go all mama bear on her ass, and who knows, maybe Britt's a secret ninja and will pull some crazy moves on her." Santana smiled into Quinn's shoulder.

"Okay." They hugged for another minute. "Can we go now?" Quinn nodded, and the two walked into the mall. They made their way to the fountain in the middle to meet up with the group; Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Blaine, Elliot, Puck, Brittany, and Dani. Puck and Elliot were standing on either side of Dani, with their backs towards the approaching duo. Santana didn't mind how close Elliot was, but Puck... she made a split second decision and ran up to Puck, jumping on his back. Lucky for her, he managed to hold on to her and not fall over.

"Puckasaurus!"

"Fucking hell, Santana! Warn a guy next time!" Puck put her down, and she managed to get in between him and Dani. Her shoulders were pressed right next to the blonde's and she gave her a small nudge, happy with the smile she received in return.

"Alright, now that we're all here, what do you guys wanna do?" Finn asked the group.

"We _must_ go to Between the Sheets, I'm in desperate need of something new." Rachel commanded.

"Ugh Berry do we have to? We all know you and Lady Hummel and the Warbler will spend _hours_ in there that I would much rather spend somewhere less vomit inducing," Santana complained.

"Okay, how about those three, and most likely Finn cause we all know Rachel has his balls hidden somewhere, go to Between the Sheets, and the rest of us find something fun to do before the movie starts?" Puck suggested, throwing his arm around Santana's shoulders. She looked up at him.

"Which movie?"

"Divergent!" Elliot said excitedly. "It looks so good."

"The book was great," Dani said quietly. Santana looked over at her to find the blonde staring at her shoes.

"Okay so we'll go have fun and you four can go be lame. See you in a bit!" Quinn said as the group split up, headed in different directions. Puck still had his arm around Santana's neck, and she had her arm around his waist. She was glad she was so comfortable with Puck without things being awkward. He was a great friend to her.

Santana noticed there was an empty space between her and Elliot, and turned her head to see Dani trailing behind them. She felt bad for not sticking with her, seeing as the blonde was still new and all. She held Puck back and waited for Dani to catch up to them, wondering why she looked so uncomfortable.

"Hey D, are you okay?" Dani looked at Santana, a smile that Santana could tell was forced on her face.

"Yeah I'm great." Santana wasn't convinced.

"There's a music store around here, they have guitars and pianos and drums and stuff. Do you want to go there?" Dani's smile became a little less forced.

"Yeah that sounds nice."

"Great." She turned her head to see the others, but before saying anything she lightly bit Puck's arm, giggling at his yelp. "Hey guys let's go to Walsh's!" Everyone agreed, and the group made their way to Walsh's Music.

They walked inside, and Santana loved watching Dani's face go from forced happiness, though she still didn't understand why, to pure awe. Guitars literally lined the walls; electrics, acoustics, basses, acoustic basses, travel guitars, twelve-strings, ukuleles, banjos, mandolins, even banjo ukuleles. There were three sliding doors along the back wall; one into a room with more acoustic guitars, one into a room with pianos and keyboards, and one into a room with drums and bongos. Santana pointed all of this out to Dani, watching her look like a child at Christmas. The blonde practically ran to the back room with the acoustic guitars. Santana chuckled, before Puck bit her shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Biting me earlier, duh."

"Oh yeah," Santana laughed. The group split off into their own sections of the store; Elliot and Puck to the electric guitars, Quinn and Brittany to the drums, and Santana started making her way to Dani in the back. The blonde had left the door slightly open, and Santana could hear her playing a song she vaguely recognized. She was a few feet in front of the door when someone grabbed her arm.

"What the hell?!"

"Chill out it's just me."

"Dammit Puck you scared the shit out of me!" She hit him in the chest. "What do you want?"

"You want to come with me to GameStop real quick?" he whispered. He knew she didn't want anyone to know about her nerdiness. "The new Batman game is out..." He was already pulling her along. Santana looked back at Dani and found her watching them, her eyes a lot less cheerful than normal. She mouthed "be right back" and turned to follow Puck. They walked to GameStop and, luckily for Santana, no one was in there. They looked through the shelves and played each other on the sample games, laughing and cursing at each other. Santana pulled out her phone to check the time and groaned, pulling Puck out of the store and running towards Walsh's.

"Shit, we have to get the others and be at the theater in twenty minutes!" The theater was on the complete opposite side of the mall, so they had no time to waste. They got to Walsh's, only to find it empty. "They must've already headed over!" Santana and Puck ran all the way to the theater, thanking god they were both on sports teams that required endurance training. They made it to the theater seven minutes before the movie started, finding their friends. Santana immediately made her way to Dani and draped her arm over the blonde's shoulders, breathing heavily.

"Sorry guys, we lost track of time."

"Alright idiots, let's go," Elliot said, leading the way. Santana walked in with her arm still around Dani's shoulder. Dani looked up and gave her a small smile, getting almost imperceptibly closer to the brunette. They all bought their tickets and made their way to the theater, finding a row with enough room for all of them. Finn and Rachel sat down first, then Elliot, followed by Quinn. Puck had his arm around Santana's shoulders again and went in after Quinn, catching Santana by surprise. She just managed to grab Dani's wrist and pull her after them, leaving Kurt, Blaine, and Brittany to sit down last. Sitting down with Puck's arm around her, Santana let her shoulder lean against Dani's. Throughout the movie, she felt Dani lean further and further into her shoulder. She would have rested her head on Dani's shoulder if Puck's stupid arm wasn't in the way.

When it was over and they made their way outside, Puck picked up Santana and spun her around, glad to be up after sitting for so long. Santana noticed Dani separate from them after bit to make a phone call. Something was going on with the blonde, and she wanted to know what it was. When Dani came back, she had a sad smile on her face.

"Sorry guys, I'm gonna go home. I don't feel too great." Of course! Dani was sick.

"Hey D if you didn't feel good earlier I wouldn't have made you come." Santana thought it was her fault.

"Oh no I felt okay earlier. I dunno, it just hit me a little while ago," she looked at the ground. Dani pulled her phone out and looked at the screen. "My mom's here I gotta go. See you around Santana." She began walking out.

"Feel better D. See you tomorrow!" Santana called after her.

The group spent another hour or so hanging out at the mall, then everyone had to go home. Santana dropped Quinn and Brittany off at Brittany's and made her way back to her own house. She went up to her room for a little nap before dinner, but couldn't get herself to sleep. She decided to sit out on the roof and enjoy the last bit of the weekend in fresh air. She laid back and enjoyed the quiet for a few minutes before she heard piano playing coming from Dani's house, which she thought was odd because Dani was supposedly sick. Soon she heard singing.

_**When I first met you I knew you were the one  
**__**Until you took me home and I met her  
**__**She had your boxers on  
**__**She was listening to your song  
**__**And I thought right then that you had everything**_

_**But I knew she was jealous from the start  
**__**Yeah I knew, she was jealous from the start  
**__**Cause I know better  
**__**Not to be friends with boys with girlfriends  
**__**Oh I know better than that, I know better  
**__**You play the victim and I'll be the bad guy  
**__**I know better than that, I know better**_

"...strange choice for Dani to sing," Santana thought.

_**We started hanging around every night  
**__**I could've sworn that I was yours  
**__**You looked at me and said  
**_"_**It's a little too late for bed"  
**__**We went to the hotel and talked about everything**_

_**But I knew she was jealous from the start  
**__**Yeah I knew, she was jealous from the start  
**__**Cause I know better  
**__**Not to be friends with boys with girlfriends  
**__**Oh I know better than that, I know better  
**__**You play the victim and I'll be the bad guy  
**__**I know better than that, I know better**_

_**Cause what she did to us was tragic  
**__**And I had to do what's right  
**__**What we had was really magic  
**__**But I had to get what's mine, what's mine  
**__**I'll get what's mine  
**__**And you'll get yours**_

_**Cause I know better  
**__**Not to be friends with boys with girlfriends  
**__**Oh I know better than that, I know better  
**__**You play the victim and I'll be the bad guy  
**__**I know better than that, I know better**_

Santana thought Dani was done until she heard her half yell to herself, "Or at least not the straight girl with a boyfriend!"

What?

Santana didn't know Dani hung out with other people recently. She thought the blonde had only hung out with her and Puck and...oh.

_Oh._

* * *

**Oh snap Santana dun goofed! Yikes. Wonder where that's gonna go… ;) **

**Since you guys like teaser challenges so much, we'll make that a semi regular thing. Anyone who can guess which glee member attempts to hit on Dani in the next chapter gets a teaser, so shoot me a message or leave it in a review.**

**How do guys like what I'm doing with Santana's character? I wanted to give her a little more depth, take her in a different direction while still keeping her _Santana_. Let me know what you think :)**

**Until next time you lil sunshines!**

**Song is Boys With Girlfriends by Meiko**


	6. Chapter 6

**You guys are just awesome. For reals. Okay the winners of the teaser were NINAvanS and butter-bomb :D ThroughTheL00kingGlass was super close. Most of you guessed either Puck or Brittany. I was surprised at how many Brittany's I got. I guess you'll have to see for yourselves…oh yeah and, I dunno, see if Santana can fix her mess, but some of you have been asking for a little drama so we'll see what happens ;)**

* * *

"QUINN YOU'VE GOT TO HELP ME SHE THINKS I'M WITH HIM BUT I'M NOT I LIKE HER BUT SHE DOESN'T KNOW THAT AND-"

"_SANTANA!"_

"WHAT?!"

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR FIVE SECONDS!" _Quinn shouted through the phone. Santana brought her phone closer to her ear and kept her mouth shut._ "Thank you. Now, would you like to tell me why you're freaking out right now? Preferably without hysterically yelling nonsense, if you don't mind."_ Santana exhaled loudly.

"When I came home I sat out on the roof and I heard Dani singing and the main line was "I know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends" and I thought that was weird cause you know she's gay but then I heard her yell "or at least not the straight girl with a boyfriend" and it took me a while but I figured out that she thinks I'm straight and I'm dating Puck and I don't know what to do HELP," she said all in one breath.

"_Well you didn't exactly tell her you play for the same team now did you?"_

"No, but-"

"_And you and Puck _are_ pretty touchy. She's still new here, she doesn't know how your friendship works."_

"Yeah, but-"

"_Santana, shut it. If you want to fix this, you're gonna need to tell her."_ Santana cringed.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that. I just don't have the confidence that she does."

"_Bullshit. You're _Santana Lopez_. You don't take shit from anyone, and you're the most badass person any of us know. Time for some tough love: stop being a pussy, woman up, and tell her. It's the only way to do it right and you know it. Now, I'm going to sleep because we have practice bright and early, and I suggest you do the same. Okay?"_

"Okay. Hey Q?"

"_Yeah?"_

"Thanks."

"_Always." _Santana hung up and attempted to calm herself down enough to sleep. She tried reading, playing games on her phone, staring at the ceiling and listening to music. Unfortunately for her, she was doomed to a rather sleepless night.

* * *

Monday was awkward. Santana saw Dani in the halls a few times and tried to talk, but all she got was a wave and "I gotta go" or "I'm late". At lunch they ate with the other glee kids, but Dani sat next to Elliot in the middle of the table, while Santana sat out on the end.

"Santana you look sad," Brittany commented.

"I kinda am," Santana sighed.

"Why? I don't like it when you're sad."

"I don't either. I made a mistake and I'm trying to figure out how to fix it."

"Do you want help?" Santana looked at Brittany and smiled.

"Thanks Britt, but this is something I need to do on my own," she explained, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder. Brittany went back to eating, and Santana noticed Dani watching her. She gave a halfhearted smile, only to have Dani look down at her own food and pretend she hadn't seen. "This is gonna be a long ass day," she thought.

When Santana walked into glee she saw Dani in the front row, Rachel to her right, Elliot to her left, and Sam sitting in front of her, talking. Santana began making her way past the other kids to the seat behind Dani's, hoping to talk to her after glee before she had to go to Cheerios practice. She caught part of the conversation as she sat down behind her favorite blonde.

"Come on!"

"No, Sam."

"Just one date."

"No." Dani sounded so exasperated with the big lipped boy in front of her, it took everything Santana had to not rip his head off.

"Give me one good reason why."

"I don't like you."

"I bet if you went out with me, I could change that." Dani rolled her eyes.

"No, you couldn't. You don't have anything I'm looking for."

"Bullshit! Like what? What don't I have?"

"Boobs." Sam looked utterly confused and Santana couldn't help but snicker.

"You're-"

"A lesbian, Sam. I dig the ladies."

"Well you could've just said so," Sam mumbled as he made his way to the back. Santana almost couldn't contain her laughter. As her giggles subsided, she looked over to see Rachel slip Blaine a five dollar bill, looking thoroughly peeved. She laughed even harder. Sadly, the fun of the day was over as Mr. Shue came in and started the week's lesson.

After glee was done, Santana ran to catch up to Dani and Elliot.

"Hey Dani!"

"Hi Ta-" she stopped herself. "Santana." Santana felt her heart break a tiny bit.

"Do you still need a ride home?" Dani shook her head.

"No I have to work on a project with Elliot for history. Thanks though. See you."

Santana watched Dani walk away, and wished she could just spill everything to the blonde. She wished she was strong enough. Instead, she hung her head and slowly walked down to the field, completely unhappy.

* * *

Tuesday was bad. Santana only got the occasional "hi" or "bye" from the blonde. She wouldn't even stop to wave, crushing Santana just a little bit more. Lunch came around, and Dani sat with Mercedes at the complete opposite end of the table, and even on the same side as Santana so she couldn't see the blonde. Santana leaned into Quinn and picked at her food.

"I don't get it Q. How am I supposed to make it right if she won't even let me talk to her?"

"We'll figure it out San, I promise."

"Here." Santana looked over at Brittany. She had a small stuffed dinosaur in her hand, holding it out for Santana.

"Brittany, are you letting me borrow Reggie?" Santana asked with wide eyes. Reggie was Brittany's most prized possession. She never let anyone have it, and she rarely even let Quinn and Santana hold it.

"I talked it over with Lord Tubbington, and we both agree that you being sad is not good. You being sad makes me and Quinn sad. Reggie makes me feel better, so maybe he can help you too," Brittany explained. Santana got up and walked around the table to hug Brittany.

"Thank you BrittBritt. I'll take good care of him, I promise."

"I know you will," Brittany said with a smile. Santana walked back around to her seat and finished her lunch, smiling for the first time all day.

Walking into glee, Santana noticed Dani, Rachel, and Elliot were in the same spots, but this time Kurt and Blaine were in the seats behind her. Great. now she couldn't even sit behind her. She resigned herself to sitting with Quinn and Brittany, just waiting for the day to be over already. After glee, she again approached Dani and Elliot, this time with Rachel as well.

"Dani do you need a ride?" she asked, practically praying for a yes.

"Sorry I have plans. Later."

Santana again watched her leave. She didn't know how many times she would be able to watch the blonde walk away from her. It hurt too much already.

* * *

Wednesday was miserable. Since Santana didn't have to wear her uniform, she showed up to school in sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. Quinn pulled her into the bathroom before class, making sure it was empty before she said anything.

"What the hell, Q?"

"Santana this is not healthy. Look at you! You're wearing _sweatpants_ to school, you have more bags under your eyes than I have in my closet, and you're moping over a girl you were never even with. You have got to snap out of it!"

"I can't help it. I've never felt like that before, and I broke it before I could start it. Can you and Britt come over this weekend? I need my girls," she nearly whispered. Quinn pulled her in for a huge bear hug.

"Of course we'll come over. But first, do we need to go all mama bear and secret ninja on her?" Santana let out a small laugh.

"No don't do that. Thanks Quinn. Love you."

"Love you too loser."

At lunch, Santana noticed Dani didn't even come into the cafeteria. She slumped into Quinn and made no attempt to eat anything. Brittany looked at her, concerned.

"Is Reggie not working?"

"No not yet. Maybe he'll work better if you come help him make Santana feel better with me this weekend," Quinn suggested. Brittany nodded excitedly.

"He does seem to be more magic when I'm around!" she exclaimed. Santana chuckled.

"Brittany, everything has more magic when you're around." Brittany gave Santana a megawatt smile as lunch came to an end.

Wednesdays not only meant no Cheerios but no glee as well, so Santana went straight home after school. She put her hair up in a messy bun, grabbed some Oreos, made her way out onto the roof just like all the Wednesdays before, and waited. Even if Dani didn't want to talk to her, Santana still wanted to see her. She _needed_ to see her. She didn't understand where this need came from, but she knew in her heart that she wouldn't be able to sleep if she couldn't at least see the blonde. She waited for a couple hours before the side gate opened, expecting to see more of the idiotic dancing she found so adorable. Instead, Dani trudged out with the trash can, walking slowly to the curb. Santana saw the iPod in her back pocket as usual, but there was no dancing, no singing, no nothing. She was dumbfounded. "But...Dani always dances..." She watched Dani walk to the curb with the recycling bin, carelessly drop it on the ground, and make her way back to the gate, shoulders slumped. When she closed the gate, Santana stood up.

"Okay that is IT!"

She climbed back through the window, stomped her feet down the stairs and walked out the door. She marched right up to Dani's door and started banging loudly with her fist. She didn't stop until Dani opened the door.

"Santana what are you-"

"I don't and I'm not."

"...what?" Dani looked like Santana was speaking another language.

"I _don't_, and I'm _not_."

"I don't understand-"

"Of course you don't you've been ignoring me for three days and it's been driving me crazy and I just want to talk to you and tell you but you never gave me the chance so here I am sounding like an idiot-"

"Santana!" Dani interrupted. "Just...come inside." Santana let out a sigh of relief and followed Dani to the couch, sitting on opposite ends. Dani spoke first.

"Okay. Try that again. And maybe say something that makes sense?" Santana let a tiny smile slip. She took a deep breath and started over.

"So you know on Sunday when you went home because you were "sick"?" Dani winced at the air quotes Santana put around "sick", but nodded anyways. "I'd noticed that ever since we got to the mall, something about you was off, but I couldn't seem to put my finger on it. Then when you said you didn't feel good, I thought that was why you were being weird and that was that. When I went home later I came out onto the roof to just relax for a bit, and I heard you sing. You know, "I know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends". I thought it was a weird song choice, but you sounded beautiful as always," Dani blushed, "so I didn't think too much of it. But then I heard something else. I heard you yell "or at least not the straight girl with a boyfriend"." Dani buried her face in her hands. "I didn't get it at first. I was thinking about what you could have meant. I thought maybe you had spent part of the weekend with other people, then I remembered you said I was the first real friend you've made here." Santana scooted closer to Dani. "I thought about who you could have hung out with, when I thought it was just me and my friends. It took me a little while, but I figured it out. I thought about how weird you were acting earlier with Quinn and Brittany and me and Puck...then I put two and two together: Me and Puck. You think we're together, but I forgot that you're still new here and you aren't aware of how our friendship works." Santana pulled Dani's hands away from her face and tilted her chin up so she could look in her eyes. "I have been trying to tell you since Monday, Dani. I _don't _have a boyfriend, and I'm _not_ straight." Dani's eyes widened.

"You-You're..." Santana chuckled as Dani tried to formulate her words.

"Yeah D, I'm gay."

"But...why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I'm not as confident as you are-"

"But-"

"Let me finish. I only came to terms with myself last year, and still only Quinn and Brittany know. My parents suspect, but we've never talked about it. I know I talk a big game but to be honest, I'm not as confident as I seem."

"Sant-"

"Seriously Dani, zip it. I didn't know when would be the right time to tell you, because if I told you I was gay I was probably also gonna let it slip that I like you. I mean, what if things got weird? What if you didn't like me back? But when I figured out what was going on, I knew I couldn't wait any longer to tell you. You scare the crap out of me D, but I couldn't lose you before I had the chance to have you." As Santana spoke, their faces drifted closer together, ending with their noses bumping into each other. But just before Dani could close the gap-

"Which is why," Santana pulled away to look at Dani, who was now pouting, "I'm about to do something totally crazy that could fail miserably or be the absolute best decision I've ever made in my life," she said as she stood up, turning to plug her phone into the stereo. As the beginning of the song played she walked up to Dani, bent down to her ear level, and whispered, "For the next three minutes and fifty one seconds, don't say a goddamn word." She straightened up and stood in front of Dani.

_**Every night I walked the streets  
**__**Never dreaming what could happen  
**__**Sad and so lonely  
**__**I saw in the mirror my reflection  
**__**Staring back at me  
**__**I thought, will I ever find what I need?**_

Santana let a wide grin grace her features.

_**But I'll wear that dress if you wear the tie  
**__**And baby we'll dance through the night  
**__**Cause no one's got what we've got going  
**__**Happiness never held on to me  
**__**Until you helped me see  
**__**That together we're just better off**_

She sat down next to Dani.

_**Oh my heart's been tried  
**__**Time and again  
**__**I always thought it was me but  
**__**I see now just how wrong I was  
**__**No I haven't known you for a lifetime  
**__**But somehow I've never been more sure that you're for me  
**__**Baby please  
**__**Don't leave just come and dance with me tonight**_

_**But I'll wear that dress if you wear the tie  
**__**And baby we'll dance through the night  
**__**Cause no one's got what we've got going  
**__**Happiness never held onto me  
**__**Until you helped me see  
**__**That together we're just better off**_

Dani laughed as Santana stood up and did a silly dance before she turned and faced Dani again.

_**Don't be cruel to me  
**__**Oh I've wanted more  
**__**But I've been wrong before  
**__**So much learning to lose  
**__**But you're not a day too soon  
**__**So say you'll feel the same and  
**__**We'll never be lonely anymore**_

Santana sat back down next to Dani and picked up her hand, intertwining their fingers.

_**But I'll wear that dress if you wear the tie  
**__**And baby we'll dance through the night  
**__**Cause no one's got what we've got going  
**__**Happiness never held onto me  
**__**Until you helped me see  
**__**That together we're just better off**_

Santana looked down at their hands as the song ended, then looked back up to find Dani with the widest grin she had ever seen.

"Tana that was an amazing song." Santana's heart swelled at hearing her nickname again.

"It was more than just a song, D. What I'm trying to say is...um...I..."

"Spit it out!"

"Willyougoonadatewithme?"

"I'm sorry what was that?" Dani giggled.

"You heard exactly what I said, jerk."

"I want to hear it in English this time," she teased.

"Fine. Dani, will you go on a date with me?" Santana looked into her favorite brown eyes, hoping for the right answer.

"Of course, Santana," Dani smiled. This time, Santana stood up and actually fist pumped. She looked over when she heard Dani laughing, a blush immediately covering her cheeks. Very slowly, she sat back down next to Dani and tried to pretend that she didn't just make a fool out of herself.

"We don't need to talk about that ever again," she said very seriously. Dani was still laughing. "But there is something else that we _do _need to talk about." Dani stopped laughing and turned to face Santana, head tilted to the side. Santana turned to face Dani, bringing her legs up so she could sit cross-legged on the couch. "Why did you avoid me this week? I mean look at me," she motioned to her sweatpants, t-shirt, and messy bun. "I look like a hobo, or a college student with four finals tomorrow. These last three days seriously sucked."

"Well first off," Dani smiled, "I think you look good all the time." Santana blushed and felt her heart race. Dani's face grew more somber. "And I was avoiding you because...I was mad at myself. I mean, at first I thought you were gay, or at least bisexual. You're not exactly subtle with your staring and blushing, Tana," she teased. Santana put her head in her hands, blushing even harder. "I thought if I got to spend more time with you, get to know you, and let you get to know me, I might have a chance. Plus you're just super easy to be around. Everything else just kind of fades away. But then I saw the way you interacted with Puck and how close you two always are and how touchy with each other you are and I knew there was no way that you weren't together and I had no chance. I felt stupid for opening up to you so quickly and assuming that I would have a shot. I guess I thought it would be better if I backed off for a bit, but trust me it wasn't easy. I was miserable too," she gave Santana a sad smile.

"D, next time just _talk_ to me. It's partially my fault for not telling you how Puck and I work, and for not telling you about me sooner. I've never told anyone but my two best friends, and you just said it with such ease to a near stranger, I guess I was a little intimidated by how comfortable you are with yourself."

"I promise I will. I should've come straight to you instead of pushing you away. I'm sorry," Dani hung her head. Santana lifted her chin back up.

"Hey, it's okay. These things happen. We'll learn from them and move on. But..." Santana paused, causing Dani's eyebrows to furrow, "if you ever do that to me again I swear I will cut all of your guitar strings," she teased with an evil smile.

"You wouldn't dare..."

"Are you really willing to take the risk?" Santana asked, eyebrows raised.

"Not a chance," Dani said with a smile.

"Good! Now on to more fun topics. Are you, um, are you free Saturday night?"

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get all shy on me. Sometimes you stutter too. You go from a confident, "I don't need your backsass" cheerleader in charge to this nervous girl who sometimes has trouble formulating proper sentences and blushes at the drop of a hat."

"I honestly have no idea. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure it out, and I've still got nothing. All I know is that it didn't start happening until I met you."

"I guess we'll figure it out together then," Dani said, grabbing hold of Santana's hand. "Until then, yeah I'm free Saturday night."

"Perfect. I'll text you with the details Saturday afternoon," Santana grinned.

"Aw you're not gonna tell me now?"

"No. And it's definitely not because I have no idea what I'm doing. Nope, not that at all," Santana giggled.

"Of course not, that would be ridiculous," Dani teased.

"Completely." Santana looked at the clock and sighed. "Crap, I gotta go home."

"I'll walk you out." The two stood up, hand in hand, and walked to Dani's door. "I'm really glad you assaulted my door with your fists of fury," Dani said, looking over at Santana. "For someone who doesn't see herself as confident, it was a pretty brave thing to do."

"Yeah sorry about that. I just couldn't stand it anymore," Santana turned to face Dani as she opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely." Dani moved to close the door when Santana slapped her hand on the door to stop it.

"Wait!"

"What?!"

"Sorry. I just...can you keep this between us? Our date, I mean."

"Yeah that's okay." Santana thought for a second.

"No it isn't." Dani furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I'll probably tell Quinn and Britt cause I tell them everything. That's not fair to you. If you want," she took a deep breath, "you can tell Elliot and Rachel. I see you've gotten close with them."

"Santana are you sure? I don't want you doing anything you aren't comfortable with."

"I...I'm sure. I'm not ready to tell everyone, but I want you to be able to talk to someone about this besides me."

"Okay. I'll think about it."

"Okay." They stood in awkward silence for a bit. "Well I should go for real this time. Bye D." As she turned to leave, Dani grabbed her wrist and pulled her back until they were only inches apart. She started to lean in and Santana closed her eyes, waiting for the kiss she had been desperate for. Instead, she felt Dani kiss her cheek, and pull back giggling. Santana opened her eyes, pouting.

"See you tomorrow Tana," Dani said with a cheeky grin as she closed the door. Santana remained rooted to the spot, still feeling Dani's lips on her cheek. Hearing her phone buzz, she pulled it out of her pocket. She let out a huge sigh and smiled.

**From: Dani  
****payback's a bitch, isn't it? night nerd ;)**

"Jerk."

* * *

**Ta da! Okay I know some of you wanted drama but I am not good at that :P Of course we'll have more ****throughout the story, but nothing that will drag on for too long.**

**So who's ready for the date next week? I am! I had a lot of fun writing it. We'll see more Sneakytana and Nervoustana. I wish my first date had been like Dantana's. Ooh tell me about your first dates! Awesome, awful, hasn't happened yet, etc. Mine was awful. **

**Tell me what you think about this chapter/story; what you like, what you don't like, all that jazz. Or just come for a chat, I like those too :)**

**Stay lovely :)**

**Song is Dress and Tie (feat Darren Criss) by Charlene Kaye**


	7. Chapter 7

**DATE DATE DATE DATE DATE. I know that's what you're all waiting for, so here. Take it ya filthy animals! (jk I love you all. Yeah, even you.)**

* * *

It was _finally_ Saturday afternoon, and Santana couldn't sit still. She was way too excited for her date tonight. She was pretty sure she had the perfect plan, considering she'd never had to plan a first date before. After Cheerios practice, she texted Dani.

**To: Dani  
****hey D we still on for tonight?**

It wasn't long before she got a response.

**From: Dani  
****wouldn't miss it :)**

**To: Dani  
****awesome :) okay I'll pick you up at 5:30**

**From: Dani  
****do i at least get a hint? ;)**

**To: Dani  
****dress warm-ish ;)**

**From: Dani  
****that's an awful hint**

**To: Dani  
****it's the only one you're gonna get, so suck it up buttercup**

**From: Dani  
****okay okay sassypants. I'll see you at 5:30 :)**

**To: Dani  
****see ya :)**

She put down her phone and started walking in circles around her room. She really should go exercise and get some nervous energy out, but then she'd get all sweaty and she'd have to take another shower and it would take forever to get everything just right and she might be late and...

"Whoa okay chill the fuck out," she reprimanded herself. "It's just a date, it's not like you haven't been on one of those before."

_Not with a girl like her._

"Shut up, brain."

Santana wandered around her house; walked in every room, walked into the backyard, walked around the garage, just trying to pass the time. She showered, got dressed and was ready to go as soon as she got home from practice, so all she had to do was wait. She hated waiting. She was by no means a patient person. Looking at the clock on her phone, she sighed; 3:30. How was she supposed to spend the next two hours? Trudging up to her room, she settled on reading some Batman. She pulled the box out and relaxed on her bed, picking up the first comic. Next thing Santana knew, her phone alarm was going off signaling that it was 5:15. She looked around at the huge pile of comic books next to her, not really believing that two hours were already up. Her phone was pretty insistent that it was time, so she turned off the alarm and packed everything up. She checked herself one more time to make sure that she looked good, and she did. She wore a dark grey flowy top with a tiger head in a triangle design on it, black jeans, dark blue low top Converse, and a deep red leather jacket. Her hair had a slight wave to it, and her makeup was done perfectly. Nodding to herself, she picked up her phone, wallet, and keys, and got in her car. She parked in Dani's driveway and walked to the door, wringing her hands. "Here we go..." She knocked on the door.

Dani opened the door and Santana's breath caught in her throat. Dani was wearing a grey Rolling Stones shirt, dark blue jeans, black combat boots, and a forest green jacket with a tiger patch on the top left side and an anchor patch on the right shoulder. Her makeup perfectly accented her eyes, making Santana love them that much more. Her hair was up in a ponytail, but Santana noticed a blue streak in it.

"W-wow Dani, you look great," she managed to get out.

"Thanks," Dani blushed, "so do you." Santana stared at her for a moment longer before shaking her head and stepping aside to let Dani walk ahead of her.

"Shall we?"

"We shall," Dani giggled, closing the door behind her. Santana followed her to the car.

"Wait!" she said before Dani opened the door.

"You have _got_ to stop doing that! What?" Santana gently pushed her to the side.

"After you, M'Lady," she said, opening the door for Dani. The blonde laughed and got in, shaking her head. Santana closed the door and ran around to her side and got in, started the car, and drove off.

"Are we both wearing something with a tiger on it?" Dani wondered. Santana had to glance down at her shirt, _again_, to remember what she was wearing.

"I think we are," she laughed. "Does your tiger patch mean anything, or..."

"Oh no," Dani chuckled. "I bought it like this. Does your shirt mean anything?" she teased.

"It means tigers are awesome, duh," Santana smiled. "Much like the blue," she nodded to Dani's hair, "I like it."

"Really? I thought it would be good to take the blue for a test run before I decide to look like a smurf."

"You'd be a cute smurf though," Santana laughed.

"Glad you think so. I'm still not sure, but who knows."

They sat in silence for a couple minutes, the radio playing low. Dani shifted her body to face Santana.

"So what are we doing tonight?" she asked.

"No."

"No?" Dani furrowed her eyebrows.

"No I'm not going to tell you. Surprises are more fun. And you're not going to change my mind, so don't even bother."

"Alright fiiiiine," Dani exaggerated, rolling her eyes. "I guess I can live with a little mystery."

"Says mystery girl," Santana mumbled.

"What?" Dani laughed.

"Oh shit I said that out loud, didn't I." She face palmed. "Uh, when I watched you from the roof I didn't know your name so I just called you mystery girl. Oh god that doesn't sound creepy at all..." she groaned. Dani chuckled.

"It's okay. After I'd noticed you up there, I got a better look at you at school but hadn't asked anyone who you were so I just called you pretty brown eyes," Dani said with a nervous smile.

"Prett - wait when did you see that I was up there?" Santana was curious.

"I saw you the first time but I didn't really look at you, you were just a person on a roof. The second time, this is gonna sound weird, I waited for a while and looked through the spaces in the gate. I couldn't see much cause it was getting dark, but I could see enough to know what to look for in school the next day."

"Aw man you saw me from the beginning? God that's embarrassing. I was staring the whole time..." Santana blushed.

"Like I said Tana, you and subtle aren't very good friends," Dani laughed.

"Yeah yeah. Are you done making fun of me? We're here." They were stopped in front of an ice cream shop.

"You told me to dress warm for ice cream?"

"No, I told you to dress warm for later. This is just part one," Santana grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.

"How many parts are there?"

"Stop trying to ruin the surprise! Come on you party pooper, let's go," she went to open her door.

"Wait!" Dani exclaimed.

"What?" Santana's hand flew to her chest. "You're right, that's terrifying."

"Told you. I think I dropped my wallet. Can you help me look for it?"

"D, I'm paying."

"Okay, but I still need it."

"Fine," Santana huffed as she leaned over to look at the floor of her car. She didn't see anything on Dani's side, so she looked on her side, thinking it might've slipped out when Dani got in the car. She was so focused on finding the wallet that she didn't notice Dani get out, walk over to Santana's side, and open the door, startling the brunette. Santana looked up at Dani, who was holding her wallet in her hand.

"It was still in my pocket. How weird is that?" she grinned.

"On a scale of one to weird? Twilight Zone," Santana laughed as she got out of the car. "Come on Rod Serling, I wants some ice cream." They made their way inside, Dani laughing at Santana.

"Oh my god do you watch that?"

"My dad may or may not have the box set and I may or may not have watched it all...okay who's ready for ice cream I am!" Santana tried to change the subject, turning to the blonde. "What would you like?"

"You are such a nerd," Dani said, poking Santana's side. "Um, I'll have mint chocolate chip."

"You better be prepared to share," Santana warned as she ordered.

"I'll be as prepared as Scar and his hyenas."

"Now look who's the nerd." Dani got their ice cream and went to a table, starting to eat.

"I am not a nerd, millions of people like the Lion King," Dani defended herself.

"Yeah, but how many of them make frequent references like that?"

"...So what did you get?"

"Smooth," Santana laughed. "I got double chocolate moose tracks."

"Can I have some?"

"Sure, help yourself." Dani reached across the table and scooped up a spoonful. "Did you have to take the bit with the most fudge?" Dani wiggled her eyebrows as she put the spoonful in her mouth.

"Oh my god that is delicious."

"Damn straight skippy. Now give me some of yours!"

"So demanding," Dani teased. Santana reached over and got a spoonful of Dani's ice cream. "Was it really necessary to take most of the chocolate chips?"

"Payback's a bitch," Santana said, mocking Dani as she ate the blonde's ice cream.

"Oh I see how it is," Dani playfully narrowed her eyes. She couldn't keep a straight face for long, and started laughing at the tiny blob of ice cream Santana had on the tip of her nose. "Uh, you got a little something..." she motioned to her nose. Santana grabbed a napkin and wiped it away as fast as she could.

"Well that's not embarrassing at all," she grumbled, a blush covering her cheeks. They finished their ice creams in comfortable silence, threw away the trash and went back to Santana's car. The drive to the next location in Santana's plan was relatively quiet, but when she pulled up to a Chinese takeout place, Dani was more than confused.

"What are we doing here?"

"Getting dinner," Santana said as if it was obvious.

"But we just had ice cream."

"I know, I was there," Santana teased the blonde.

"Isn't this a little, I dunno, backwards?"

"Well," Santana began to explain, "there's one more part after this, but it's a little drive from here and ice cream wouldn't last that long, so we had to have it first."

"Seriously, what are we doing?"

"You'll see."

Santana headed inside with Dani following, shaking her head. They ordered their food, Santana thanking the guy behind the counter with a reflexive "Gracias", and got back in Santana's car, heading off to the next destination. Dani turned to face Santana.

"You realize that you spoke Spanish in a Chinese place, right?"

"It happens when you grow up in a bilingual household. Sometimes I'll be speaking English and just slip into Spanish in the middle of the sentence."

"Will you...Will you sing me a song in Spanish sometime?" Santana gave Dani a quick glance.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. I love hearing you sing," Santana's heart fluttered, "and I think hearing you sing in Spanish would be...hot." Santana was pretty sure her face was about as red as it could be.

"W...I...um...su...y-yeah..." This girl was going to be the death of her.

"Cool," Dani grinned. Santana cleared her throat, trying to get her vocabulary back.

"Do you have your iPod with you?" Dani shook her head. "Okay mine is in the center console if you want to be DJ."

Dani fished out the iPod and plugged it in, putting in on shuffle. The two girls sat in silence listening to the music, enjoying each other's company. Suddenly Dani squealed and cranked the volume up.

"I _love_ this song!" Santana laughed. She never thought Dani would be into a song like this, but was more than happy to let her sing.

_**Baby you're the best cause you worked me out  
**__**I keep building walls up but you tear 'em down  
**__**I'm fighting, I don't wanna like it but you know I like it  
**__**But you know I like it, like it, like it  
**__**Used to always think I was bulletproof  
**__**But you got an AK and you're blowing through  
**__**Explosive, you don't even know it, I want you to know it  
**__**I want you to know it, know it, know it**_

Santana took over.

_**All of them other boys can walk away  
**__**They ain't even in the game  
**__**Cause they know that you own it  
**__**You got this swag, you got this attitude  
**__**Wanna hear you say my name  
**__**Cause you got me**_

Dani joined in.

_**Flying with your love, shining with your love, riding with your love  
**__**I feel like I'm on top of the world with your love  
**__**One hit with your love, can't quit with your love, so sick but so what  
**__**I feel like I'm on top of the world with your love**_

Santana sang alone.

_**Everybody wants what I got with you  
**__**Cause I'm standing on top with a killer view  
**__**Inspired, feeling like a million, I'm one in a million  
**__**I'm one in a million, million, million  
**__**I ain't even here I'm in outer space  
**__**Like I'm Venus, you're Mars in the Milky Way  
**__**It's crazy what you're doing to me, how you do it to me  
**__**How you do it to me, to me, to me**_

Dani belted out the bridge.

_**All of them other boys can walk away  
**__**They ain't even in the game  
**__**Cause they know that you own it  
**__**You got this swag, you got this attitude  
**__**Wanna hear you say my name  
**__**Cause you got me**_

They sang together.

_**Flying with your love, shining with your love, riding with your love  
**__**I feel like I'm on top of the world with your love  
**__**One hit with your love, can't quit with your love, so sick but so what  
**__**I feel like I'm on top of the world with your love**_

Santana started awkward car dancing and Dani laughed at her while they finished the song.

_**Cause you got me flying baby, I'm shining baby, I'm riding with your love  
**__**One hit baby, I can't quit baby, I'm so sick but so what  
**__**Flying baby, I'm shining baby, I'm riding with your love  
**__**One hit baby, I can't quit baby, I'm so sick but so what**_

_**Flying with your love, shining with your love, riding with your love  
**__**I feel like I'm on top of the world with your love  
**__**One hit with your love, can't quit with your love, so sick but so what  
**__**I feel like I'm on top of the world with your love**_

"I never pegged you as a Cher Lloyd fan, D," Santana said, surprised.

"I like all kinds of music. I'm not just classic rock and the underground scene, I love Top 40's hits too."

"Good to know," Santana smiled.

"That dancing though...that was definitely something," Dani teased.

"Oh please tell me you've car danced before."

"Nope."

"You poor soul. We need to fix that ASAP." Santana had Dani put on her "dancy dancy" playlist and they spent the rest of the drive car dancing and making faces at each other and other cars they passed, which became more challenging as it grew darker. After half an hour, Santana pulled into a dirt lot in front of a grove of trees outside of town.

"We walk from here," she said to Dani.

"You're not gonna murder me and bury me in the woods, are you?"

"No of course not," Santana grinned. She walked to the trunk of her car and pulled out a backpack. Dani came around with the food and Santana put it inside and pulled out a flashlight, not letting Dani look.

"What else is in there?"

"A plastic horse, a pair of socks, and a garden hose." Dani looked at her incredulously. "Were you expecting a real answer?"

"Not really," Dani sighed.

"Come on," Santana grabbed the blonde's hand and laced their fingers together. "We gots some walking to do." She turned on the flashlight and led Dani a fair distance into the trees before ascending a sloping hill. At the top was a large rock ledge that dropped off. Santana walked to the edge and sat down, dangling her legs over the side. She patted the spot next to her, motioning for Dani to join her.

"Sit down, D. I promise you won't fall."

Dani slowly made her way over to Santana, sitting cross legged beside her. Santana watched Dani's face turn from hesitation to wonder as she took in her surroundings. The ledge overlooked a small lake surrounded by trees. There was a slight breeze, causing the leaves to sway and make a calming rustling sound. Crickets chirped in the small grass clearing on the other side of the lake. Fireflies danced over the water, nearly blending in with the reflection of the stars. Dani looked up to see a perfectly clear night sky, stars everywhere, brighter than she had ever seen.

"Wow. This is amazing, Santana."

"I thought you might enjoy it. I come out here every so often to clear my head."

"How did you find it?"

"One day I was really, really pissed off and I just didn't want to be around people, so I went for a drive. After a while I noticed my gas tank was practically empty, so I had to pull into that lot. I wasn't ready to go home yet, so I just started walking and ended up here. I stayed for a couple hours and let everything disappear. Eventually I called my mom to come get me, but I kept coming back here when things got to be too much. It's just really calming for me." She paused. "I, uh," she looked over at Dani shyly, "I've never brought anyone here before." Dani was still looking at everything, taking it all in.

"It really is beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it," Santana beamed. "I have one more thing for later, but first let's eat." She helped Dani stand up and they moved a few feet back from the edge. She pulled the food out of her backpack, and fished out a blanket, laying it down on the ground for them to sit on while they ate. They sat side by side, looking out at the trees and the edge of the lake, sharing an easy conversation. Santana had never felt so comfortable around anyone before. This feeling of openness without judgment was a new one, but definitely not unwelcome.

When they were done eating, Santana helped Dani stand up and walked back to the edge, bringing her backpack. She kneeled and pulled out several oddly shaped objects and a lighter. She looked up at Dani to find the blonde staring at her disapprovingly.

"It's not what you think, D." She pulled Dani down to kneel beside her. "They're fireworks." Dani's gaze softened. "Whenever my uncle comes to visit from Arizona, he always brings a couple for me. I've been saving them for a special occasion, and I figured this was as good a time as any." Dani grinned.

"I've never set off fireworks before."

"Okay I'll show you how. We gotta be careful to only shoot them over the lake though. Don't want to start a fire."

"Yeah that wouldn't be good," Dani laughed. Santana helped her set up the first firework and set it off, watching as blue sparks shot out over the lake, cascading down onto the water.

"That was so cool! Can we do more?" Dani begged.

"Of course, D," Santana chuckled. They set off a few more fireworks, and every time Santana couldn't help but smile as she watched Dani's face, the blonde in complete awe of the various patterns and colors. She watched the lights bounce off of Dani's eyes, lighting up her features.

"Tana, you're staring again." Santana snapped out of her daze.

"Sorry. I can't help it." Dani giggled at her blush.

"It's okay." She stepped closer and faced Santana. "Thank you for bringing me here, for letting me into your world." Santana unconsciously stepped forward to meet her, looking at the ground.

"It's easy to let you in. I really like you." _Stupid word vomit_.

Dani cupped her cheek, forcing her to look up. She looked into Dani's eyes and saw so much acceptance and hope, she couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face. Dani came closer and her heart started to race.

"I really like you too." _Thank you word vomit_.

Dani glanced down at Santana's lips before looking back up at her eyes, and suddenly Santana understood where this was going. "Oh god oh god what do I do what if I suck or she hates it or I do something stupid" she rambled in her head. Before she could scare herself out of it, Dani pulled her in and closed the gap. She instinctively closed her eyes, and kissed back. Dani's lips were so soft, and moved perfectly against her own. Dani wrapped her arms around Santana's neck, and Santana tentatively placed her hands on Dani's hips. They found a good rhythm and Santana grew more confident, pulling Dani's body closer and wrapping her arms around Dani's waist. If Santana didn't know any better, she would've thought they were still setting off fireworks.

They pulled back when air became necessary, Santana resting her forehead on Dani's. They looked at each other for a minute, both with stupid grins on their faces. Dani was the first to break the silence.

"Wow."

"You can say that again," Santana laughed.

"To think I almost missed out on that..."

"But you didn't, D. We're here, and that was perfect." Dani placed her head on Santana's shoulder, pulling her body close.

"It was absolutely perfect." The blonde nuzzled her head into Santana's neck. Santana was certain she wouldn't mind staying like that for the rest of her life. Her phone, however, had other plans.

"Ugh way to ruin the moment," she grumbled as she looked at the offending electronic. "Dammit, I have to go home."

"What time is it?"

"Almost 11."

"Yeah we should probably go."

"Boo," Santana pouted as she started picking up their things.

"Come on, grumpy," Dani teased, holding out her hand for Santana to take. They walked back to Santana's car, separating only to get into their respective seats. Once Santana had the music playing and started driving, Dani reached for her hand again, not letting go until they reached her house. Santana couldn't wipe the grin off her face, not that she was trying very hard. She never wanted the night to end, but the time came when she had to park in Dani's driveway and let her out. She walked the blonde up to her door, and before Dani went inside she turned to face Santana.

"I had a great time," she said with a smile.

"Me too. I was so worried it wouldn't work considering I've never had to plan a date before and I just wanted it to be perfect and-"

"Santana!" The brunette stopped rambling. "It was wonderful." Santana kicked at the ground, grinning widely. "By the way, I didn't tell them." Santana looked up.

"Huh?"

"Elliot and Rachel. I didn't tell them about tonight."

"But Dani I told you-"

"I know, and that was way sweet of you, but it isn't my place to tell them. It's yours. You can tell them yourself when you're ready," she gave Santana an encouraging smile. "I really gotta go, but I'll text you later."

"Okay," Santana sighed. Dani stood up on her toes to give Santana a quick kiss, catching her by surprise.

"Goodnight Santana," Dani said, closing the door.

"Night Dani."

* * *

**Aw that was cute. Okay teaser time! anyone who can tell me the Camp Rock 2 reference OR guess which Santana we'll see next gets a teaser. If you can tell me the reference, guess the right santana, AND tell me the bonus mean girls reference you win the rough draft of the one shot I've been working on (santana and dani in NY after glee 100/101)**

**Let me know what you think. Review, message me, all that jazz :)**

**Song is With Ur Love by Cher Lloyd**

**Stay golden, loves :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Only one of you snagged the teaser (ThroughTheL00kingGlass) and only one of you managed to get both the teaser AND the one shot (butter-bomb). I know you guys can do it. I believe in you! Better luck next time :) Alright without further ado, I present… chapter 8!**

* * *

Perfect. Perfect was the only word Santana could think of to describe the two weeks since her and Dani's first date. The two girls spent a good portion of their weekends together and were practically attached at the hip during lunch and glee. They'd been on another date the Saturday after their first; Dani took Santana bowling. As cheesy as a bowling date is, Santana had never had that much fun bowling before. They both did horribly of course, but that was mostly because they were busy stealing each other's turns, bowling backwards, slipping around in their shoes, and causing general mayhem on their lane. Santana was careful because it was still a public place, but nobody paid attention to them anyways.

Santana's favorite part though? The stolen kisses. They only happened in the safety of their homes, and they didn't happen often, but when they did Santana was sure she didn't need anything else in life. Dani's lips were her kryptonite, as unsettling as it was to make a Superman reference. She wanted to kiss Dani all the time, she wanted to be around her all the time, she wanted to be able to look at Dani's gorgeous face and think "Yep, that one's mine". Hell, she wanted to be able to point her out in a crowd and say "That's my girlfriend", but that would come later. There was still one small problem; she hadn't actually asked Dani to be hers yet. She was determined to make that change.

Friday morning after their bowling date, Dani came up to Santana's locker as usual. They were just chatting away, when they noticed people start to run past them. Santana looked around but couldn't see what they were running from. Suddenly Rachel came sprinting to them.

"Dani you have to go!"

"Why?" Dani and Santana said at the same time.

"Karofsky. He's coming for you."

All Santana could see was red. Her hands balled into fists and her jaw clenched, grinding her teeth, as she turned around to face the direction the other kids were running away from. She could vaguely hear Dani and Rachel talking behind her.

"Why do I need to run?"

"He and his goon squad all have slushies, and considering he's basically a primate I wouldn't put it above him to hit a girl."

"But why is he coming for me?" Santana turned around to face the two shorter girls.

"Because he's a homophobic asswipe." Dani couldn't help but laugh. "Dani this is serious. Berry's right, as much as those words taste like poison." Rachel frowned and crossed her arms. "We have to handle this carefully, okay?" Dani nodded.

"That means you too, Santana," Rachel warned. "Can you control her long enough to get him to leave?"

"Control who?" Dani furrowed her eyebrows.

"I think you're about to find out..." Rachel squeaked as her eyes widened in fear. Santana and Dani turned around to Karofsky and his football buddies behind them, each one holding a large slushy cup. Dani and Rachel looked around to find the hallway completely empty, and Dani noticed Rachel start to shake.

"Rach, go," she whispered. Rachel looked over at her, unsure of what to do. "Please go. This isn't your fight. I'll find you later. Go." Rachel slowly backed away and ran off.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Karofsky said, his voice laced with venom aimed at Dani. "Move Lopez, this doesn't concern you." His eyes narrowed as he stepped forward.

"Actually, it does," Santana retorted, pulling Dani directly behind her. "She's with me, so you can take your little peanut gallery and beat it." Karofsky seemed to falter.

"So? She's new, in that stupid glee club, and_ gay_. We've let her slide for far too long. Just because she's hot doesn't mean she gets a free pass." Santana's blood began to boil. She stepped forward, shrugging Dani's hand off her arm, and pointed her finger in Karofsky's face.

"Listen up, shit for brains. I'm only gonna say this once, so pay attention. Nod so I know you're listening." Karofsky took a step back at the anger Santana was exuding, nodding his head. "Good. Now, unless you want a visit from Auntie Snix and a subsequent trip to the hospital," Karofsky and his cronies winced, "I suggest you back the fuck off. If any one of you comes near her, I swear on my life I will come after every single one of you and make you feel so much pain you'll wish you had been bulldozed by a herd of rhinoceroses. Got it?" This time every single one of Karofsky's crew nodded their heads, slowly backing away. "Now piss off before you do anything else you'll regret." The rest of the football players turned around and speed walked their way to safety, but Karofsky slowly walked away and mumbled just loud enough for Santana to hear;

"Stupid dyke. I'll get her eventually."

Santana snapped, ignoring Dani's pleas for her to let it go.

"Oh Dave," she called out in a sickeningly sweet voice. He stopped in his tracks. Santana sauntered over and walked around to face him. She looked up at him with a fire in her eyes that would scare the devil. "Can I have that slushy?" He slowly handed it to her, scared to disobey. She took a sip and sighed. "Cherry, my favorite." She looked back up at Karofsky, her features darkening. Santana threw the slushy in his face, grabbed his right arm and twisted it hard behind his back, slamming his face into the lockers. "You so much as _look_ at her wrong," she growled, "and I will break your shoulder into several pieces." He struggled against her, causing her to twist his arm harder. "That would kind of suck for football, wouldn't it?" The boy whimpered. "You stay away from her, keep your distance, and nothing unfortunate," she smashed him harder into the lockers, "will happen to you. Nod so I know you understand me perfectly." Karofsky nodded the best he could, groaning at the pain in his arm. Santana felt a soft hand on her shoulder and loosened her grip a little bit.

"Santana, let him go."

Santana felt Dani's voice bring her back to reality, letting go of Karofsky. He sprinted down the hall, cradling his arm. Santana turned to face Dani and hung her head.

"I...I'm sorry you had to see that. I thought I could handle it, but I couldn't let him treat you like that. I just couldn't. I-"

"Santana. Stop." Dani looked around to make sure the hallway was empty and reached for Santana's hand. She looked back up into Santana's eyes. "Thank you." Santana was taken aback. She nearly dislocated a kid's arm because she couldn't control her anger, and she's being thanked? "Nobody's ever stood up for me." Oh.

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Santana blurted out.

"Maybe next time you could do it without causing physical pain," Dani laughed. Dropping their hands, they walked back to Santana's locker to pick up their stuff, already way late to class. "So who's "Auntie Snix"?"

"Remember when I told you about when I kinda went berserk and put that girl in the hospital?" Dani nodded. "That's Snix. When I reach a certain level of anger, it's like another person takes over my body. I can see everything I do and hear everything I say, but I can't control it."

"So was that Snix I just saw?"

"It wasn't completely, but she was definitely there more than I would have liked. If Snix made a full appearance, I probably would have actually broken his shoulder." She paused. "To be honest, I was close to doing it before you stopped me." She looked over at Dani. "So really, I should be thanking you. You just got me out of a world of trouble, and saved that asshole's arm," she smiled at the blonde.

"It was the least I could do. I'm pretty sure none of them will bother me again," Dani nudged Santana's shoulder. Santana looked over at her and smiled as they walked to Dani's class. "Do you want to come over tonight?"

"Yeah of course. There's actually something I want to talk to you about anyways." Dani looked slightly alarmed. "Oh no I promise it's nothing bad. I actually hope it'll be a very good talk," she grinned. Dani relaxed and smiled up at Santana. They reached Dani's classroom and Dani gave Santana a quick hug.

"Thanks again. See you at lunch?"

"Yeah," Santana nodded. Dani gave her one last smile and headed inside. Santana made her way to her own classroom, suddenly nervous about this afternoon.

* * *

Santana and Dani had perfected their routine. After glee together, Santana would go to Cheerios practice and Dani would go to the library to do homework or the music room to play around. Dani would come to the bleachers just before practice ended, and Santana would take them both home. Usually they ended up at one of their houses. Today however, Santana dropped Dani off before making a quick pit stop at her own house to change. She didn't mind having to wear the Cheerios uniform all the time, but she wanted to look presentable when she asked Dani to be her girlfriend.

Santana made her way over to Dani's house. Ever since she had scared Dani about robbers, the blonde always made sure to lock the door. Santana couldn't help but laugh at the memory as she knocked on the door. Dani's mom opened the door and welcomed Santana inside.

"Hi Santana. Come on in."

"Hey Mrs.-"

"Santana, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Margaret, please," the older woman smiled.

"Sorry," Santana said sheepishly.

"Am I going to have to remind you every time?"

"Probably," Santana laughed.

"Alright fine," Margaret chuckled. "Dani's in her room, just go on up."

"Thanks Mrs.-"

"Santana!" The brunette shot her a cheeky smile as she climbed the stairs to Dani's room.

Santana opened the door to find Dani sitting at her piano, writing in one of her binders. She walked over to the blonde and placed her hands on her shoulders, trying not to startle her. Dani looked over at Santana.

"Hey Tana," she grinned.

"Hey D." Santana pulled Dani up, bringing the blonde's face close to her own. "I have been wanting to do this all day," she mumbled, glancing down at Dani's lips. Dani caught on and closed the little distance between them, capturing Santana's lips between her own. Santana felt every muscle in her body relax, except for her heart, which sped up ridiculously fast. She pulled Dani closer, determined to make this last as long as possible. When she felt her lungs start to burn from lack of oxygen, she pulled away, laughing as Dani tried to follow her.

"Noooo come back," the blonde whined.

"I kinda need to breathe," Santana teased.

"I guess that's an acceptable excuse," Dani said smiling, turning to put away the binder on the the piano.

"What are you working on?" Santana asked, resting her chin on Dani's shoulder.

"Some new stuff."

"Can I hear it?"

"No."

"Why not?" Dani turned around, causing Santana to lift her head.

"It's not done yet, duh." Santana began to pout. "Oh no, don't you start. I promise I will play it for you when it's done." Dani gave Santana a kiss on the cheek as she moved past to put the binder away.

"You better." Dani laughed and shook her head, sitting on the edge of her bed. She patted the space next to her, inviting Santana to sit beside her. Santana sat and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder.

"So what do you want to do?" Dani asked.

"Can we just watch a movie for a bit? I'm kinda tired," Santana yawned.

"Sure. Do you want to stay up here? I can set up my laptop." Santana nodded.

"That would be nice." Dani got up and moved the piano stool to be in the center of the music corner, placing her laptop on the seat. She situated the bean bag chair in front of it, facing the laptop and the wall. Santana watched her with a small smile on her face, totally not looking at Dani's behind. Dani finished turning on her laptop and turned to face Santana.

"Wait, didn't you say you want to talk about something?"

"Yeah I do, but movie first."

"Okay, what are you in the mood for?" _You_, Santana thought.

"Um...have you seen _Some Like It Hot_?" Dani smiled.

"I love that movie. Total classic." She found the DVD in her collection and put it the computer, settling into the bean bag chair. She looked over at Santana still on the bed. "Well come on, let's watch the movie."

"Where am I supposed to sit?"

"Right here," Dani said, scooting over and patting the space beside her. "Unless you don't want to-"

"No!" Santana jumped up. "I mean, no it's cool I'll sit with you," she said nonchalantly, her cheeks heating up. Dani let out a small laugh. Santana sat down next to the blonde, but really she was half sitting on her. Dani put her arm around Santana's shoulders and pulled her closer, letting the brunette lay her head back on her shoulder, resting her own head on top of Santana's. Santana had never been much of a cuddly person, but Dani was just so comfortable. She snuggled in closer to the blonde, sighing and focusing on the screen.

Halfway through the movie, Santana started to lose focus. Her eyes drifted to the wall behind the computer, looking at the posters. She saw a Bruno Mars tour poster, an autographed Pierce The Veil poster, and Sweeney Todd poster. Santana smiled at the variety. It was just so _Dani_. She turned her attention to the guitar hanging on the wall. It was polished, obviously well cared for. The outside of the body was black, with a dark orange sunburst in the middle. Santana was curious about it; Dani had mentioned it was a gift, but from whom?

"Hey D?"

"Yeah?"

"You said the guitar and the piano were gifts. Who were they from?" She could feel Dani tense up a tiny bit.

"The piano was from my mom and dad for Christmas a few years ago." Santana waited for the answer to the other part of her question, but there wasn't one.

"And the guitar?" she prompted, turning to look at the blonde. Dani started fidgeting with Santana's sleeve.

"Ask me again somet-"

"No. I'm asking you now." Dani started shifting her legs, becoming more uncomfortable.

"Can we please just watch the movie? Now is not the right time for that conversation." Santana gave an exasperated sigh and looked back at the laptop. What was Dani keeping from her? Why does she avoid those questions like the plague? When would she open up? All good questions, to which Santana had exactly zero answers.

She tried to focus back on the movie, which she really loved, but couldn't stop wondering about ever-mysterious Dani. A part of her wanted to respect Dani's requests to be patient, but a larger part of her wanted to know now. She didn't want to know for any other reason than she just wanted to _know_ Dani. She wanted to understand her, but she couldn't do that when the blonde hid things from her, and wouldn't answer her questions. Dani was keeping a part of herself hidden, and Santana wanted to know _all _of her.

The movie only had about twenty minutes left when Santana got cold. She looked around them and noticed Dani's jacket on the floor near the blonde.

"Dani?"

"Yes?" the blonde responded warily.

"Relax. Can you just pass me your jacket? I'm cold." Dani picked it up and handed it to Santana, who draped it over her front like blanket. "Thank you." Dani's only response was to squeeze Santana's shoulder and pull her a little closer.

Santana shifted around a bit to get comfortable when she felt something poking her side, pulling Dani's wallet out of one of the pockets. She looked up at the blonde.

"Do you mind if I look at your wallet?"

"Sure. There's not much in it though."

Santana opened the black and red leather wallet. The first thing she saw was Dani's goofy license photo. She remembered Dani telling her that during her driver's test she was chewing gum to calm her nerves, and when she went to take her license picture she forgot to spit it out. In Dani's picture, Santana could see the gum in the corner of her mouth, causing her to smile. She moved on to look at the right side of the wallet, which only had a gift card to Target in it. There wasn't much cash in Dani's wallet, so she looked in the sleeves under the card slots. Santana looked up to the movie and saw one of her favorite parts. Her laughter shook a small photo out of one of the sleeves. All she saw was a flash of brown hair before Dani grabbed it. Great. Yet another thing Dani was hiding. She closed the wallet and tossed it across Dani, watching it land on the floor.

They watched the rest of the movie in silence. Santana tried hard to pay attention, but all of this uncertainty with Dani wouldn't go away. How could they be in a relationship, if Dani even wanted that, when the blonde wouldn't really open up? Santana knew that some things were really fucking hard to talk about, but all she wanted to do was help. She didn't even need the full story or all the details, just the basics so she could understand. She wished that Dani would let her in as much as she had let the blonde in. For now she settled on being patient, which would take a lot of work considering she absolutely sucked at it.

After the movie ended, Dani struggled to get up to turn off the laptop. Santana ended up pushing her up, with her hands on the blonde's very nice behind. When she managed to stand up straight, Dani playfully glared over her shoulder at Santana.

"Hands off the booty!"

"But I like the booty," Santana laughed.

"I bet you do," Dani teased, shaking her hips directly in front of the brunette. Santana's mouth went dry, only snapping out of her trance when she heard Dani's laughter. "I think your jaw is all over my floor." Santana quickly closed her mouth, blushing hard.

Dani continued to laugh as she closed the laptop and helped Santana up. They sat on Dani's bed with their backs against the wall, the blonde reaching over to take Santana's hand and laced their fingers together.

"You said there was something you wanted to talk about?" Santana nodded.

"There is, but the thing I wanted to talk to you about can wait for a little bit, there's something else I want to talk about first." Dani furrowed her eyebrows. "Remember when you asked me to sing in Spanish?" The blonde nodded, getting excited. "Well I think I have something that would work." Santana got off the bed and stood in front of Dani, picking a song off of her phone. She held her hands in front of her stomach as she began to sing.

_**Desde que te apareciste de repente todo parece brillar  
**__**Todas estas melodías no decían nada y ahora dicen más,  
**__**Ahora dicen más**_

Dani had a massive grin on her face.

_**Todo lo que me importaba desde tu llegada no importa ya,  
**__**Lo que parecía difícil ya no representa dificultad  
**__**Río con facilidad**_

_**Pero me pongo a dudar me confundo y no distingo  
**__**Si está bien o si está mal  
**__**Si está bien, agradezco y te corresponderé  
**__**Si está mal, como nunca lloraré  
**__**Mientras tanto he puesto todo por saber**_

_**Me gusta encontrar que existe en la vida esa posibilidad  
**__**De que todo se de vuelta cuando no esperaba ya novedad  
**__**Llego bien luego se va**_

_**Pero me pongo a dudar me confundo y no distingo  
**__**Si está bien o si está mal  
**__**Si está bien, agradezco y te corresponderé  
**__**Si está mal, como nunca lloraré  
**__**Mientras tanto he puesto todo por saber  
**__**Si está bien, agradezco y te corresponderé  
**__**Si está mal, como nunca lloraré  
**__**Mientras tanto he puesto todo por saber  
**__**Si está bien, agradezco y te corresponderé  
**__**Si está mal, como nunca lloraré  
**__**Mientras tanto he puesto todo por saber  
**_

_**Mientras tanto he puesto todo por saber**_

"Tana that was amazing!" Dani exclaimed. "What does it mean though?"

"Thanks," Santana smiled, sitting back next to Dani. "The translation doesn't work as well in song form, so I'll just say it."

_Since you appeared suddenly everything seems to shine  
__All these melodies didn't used to say anything and now they say more  
__Now they say more_

_Since your arrival, everything that used to matter to me doesn't anymore  
__Whatever seemed difficult, no longer presents any difficulty  
__I laugh with ease_

_But I start to doubt, I get confused and I can't tell  
__Whether it's good or bad  
__If it's good, I'm grateful and I'll return your love  
__If it's bad, I'll cry like never before  
__Meanwhile I've done everything to find out_

_I like to find that there exists in this life a possibility  
__That everything takes a turn when I didn't expect anything new  
__It arrived well then it goes away_

_But I start to doubt, I get confused and I can't tell  
__Whether it's good or bad  
__If it's good, I'm grateful and I'll return your love  
__If it's bad, I'll cry like never before  
__Meanwhile I've done everything to find out  
__If it's good, I'm grateful and I'll return your love  
__If it's bad, I'll cry like never before  
__Meanwhile I've done everything to find out_

_Meanwhile I've done everything to find out_

Santana looked over at Dani, who was staring at her shoes, eyebrows furrowed.

"Santana, wha-"

"Just let me say something first." Dani nodded, still looking at her shoes. "I know there are things you're keeping from me. And I have a feeling a lot of it has to do with the other part of why you were bullied so bad. I understand that things like that are really hard to talk about with other people, especially someone you just met a couple weeks ago," Santana gently picked up Dani's hand, "but I want you to know that I'm always here for you. Keeping things to yourself all the time can be taxing on a person, and I just hope you know that I will never judge you, never put you down, never belittle your feelings. You're so special to me already, and I want to understand you more. I want to know _you_. The good, the bad, the broken, the mended. I want to know your dreams, the places you want to visit, the thoughts that keep you up at night, everything that makes you so uniquely you." Santana looked over at Dani and watched a silent tear make its way down her cheek. She reached over to wipe it away, replacing the tear with a soft kiss. Moving off the bed and to the doorway, she stopped and turned around. Dani was still staring into space, fiddling with a thread on her shirt. "I'm not going to push you, D. I'll wait as long as it takes for you to feel comfortable enough to talk about it, if you ever do. I just needed you to know that." Santana began to leave the room. "I needed you to know that before I make you mine," she said over her shoulder. Deciding to leave Dani time alone with her thoughts, she made her way back to her own house, hoping she hadn't just screwed everything up.

* * *

**Whew! Im just gonna put it out there; Snix is my fave to write XD I had to find a way to get out of mentioning Dani's last name, ya know cuz she doesn't have one :P Looks like next chapter we might learn a little bit more about Dani!**

**Please review, let me know how I'm doing and stuff. If you guys help me out and get me to, say, 50 reviews, I'll post that one-shot butter-bomb won. Who knows, I may be working on another one as well ;)**

**Stay golden, lovelies**

**Song is Bien O Mal by Julieta Venegas  
PS Sorry if I got the Spanish little wrong, I did my best **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! How's your week been? Good I hope. Mine was kinda bleh. I don't really have much to say this time around, so we'll just jump right in. Enjoy :)**

* * *

"So you told her all of that, then just left?"

"Well yeah, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't sit around expecting an answer right away. I need to give her space."

"Damn, San. Looks like you finally grew yourself a pair," Quinn remarked, impressed. She turned to face Santana, sitting up on the brunette's bed. "But what are you gonna do now?"

"I don't have a clue," Santana groaned. "I don't want her to feel like I'm expecting anything from her, but I don't want her to think I'm not interested anymore."

"And this happened on Friday?" Santana nodded. It was now Sunday. "Maybe-"

"Have you talked to her since then?" Brittany piped up from her spot on the floor.

"Sorta. I didn't want to be pushy so I was waiting for her to say something, and she texted me yesterday and today just saying "have a good practice". I texted her back, but we didn't talk for long."

"Stop being such a worry wart then. You're clearly fine," Brittany stated matter-of-factly.

"How so, Britt?" Santana asked, propping her head up on her chin as she laid on her stomach.

"I think that was her way of letting you know that you guys are okay. She may need space cause you left her with some stuff to think about, but she wants you to know that she's not mad at you. She's just taking time to sort things out, but doesn't want you to worry too much about having said the wrong thing. Even though she has all of that other stuff to think about, she still took the time to show you that she's thinking of you too," Brittany informed the two girls on the bed. Quinn and Santana looked at each other, wide eyed. Santana climbed down and sat next to Brittany, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"You really are a genius, Britt."

"Try telling Lord Tubbington. He's positive he's smarter than me." Santana and Quinn laughed.

"There is no friggin way that fat cat is smarter than you, Britt," Quinn assured her. Brittany smiled.

"Thanks Q." She leaned her head on Santana's shoulder. "We haven't done this in a while. I miss it."

"You're right. How about we make Sunday evenings the official time for the Unholy Trinity to spend time together?" Santana suggested.

"But what about when you and Dani get together?" Quinn argued. "Cause we all know that's eventually going to happen."

"Look, you two have been my closest friends for as long as I can remember. I've been neglecting you, and I'm sorry about that. Regardless of what happens between Dani and I, I want to have time that's just the three of us; Santana, Quinn, and Brittany time."

"You got yourself a deal, Lopez," Quinn smiled. "Sunday evenings, you're all ours." Santana and Brittany grinned at each other.

"Okay group hug!" Brittany announced as she stood up, pulling Santana with her. Quinn got off the bed and Brittany engulfed both of them in a massive hug, all three of them laughing as each girl tried to out-squeeze the other two.

* * *

"H-Hey."

Santana closed her locker Monday morning to see Dani standing next to her, playing with her hands. The blonde looked nervous, but Santana couldn't stop the smile that grew on her face.

"Hey D. What's up?"

"How was your weekend?"

"It was actually pretty good. I watched a series that may or may not involve a boy with a lightning scar and magic," she laughed, "and I spent a lot of time with Quinn and Britt. We decided that Sunday evenings are gonna be our time to hang out."

"That's good," Dani gave her a small smile.

"How was yours?" Santana asked tentatively.

"It was okay. I mostly stayed home. Thinking, writing music and stuff," Dani looked down, playing with her bracelet. Santana nodded. There was an awkward silence, neither girl knowing what to say.

"So-" "Um-" they said simultaneously. Dani looked up at Santana and laughed.

"You go first," the two said at the same time again. They laughed, then Dani gestured for Santana to talk.

"Okay, um..." the brunette took a deep breath, "Are we okay? I know I said a lot and I may have crossed a line I don't know I'm not sure which lines are appropriate to cross and which ones aren't and I don't want you to be mad at me but I'd understand if you are an-"

"Santana!" Dani cut her off.

"Sorry," Santana mumbled, refusing to meet Dani's eyes.

"First, I'm not mad at you. I was never mad at you." Santana looked up to make sure Dani wasn't joking. "What you said was completely justified, I just needed some time to figure it all out." Santana could barely contain her smile. "I had a lot to figure out, and... um, i-if...I don't know, uh..." Dani, nervous? That's a first.

"No need to get all shy on me D," Santana gave her an encouraging smile. "That's my job, remember?" Dani let out a nervous laugh.

"Right. Uh, can I come over tonight? There are some things I need to explain to you. Things you should know. The kind of things I _really_ do not feel comfortable talking about around other people..."

"Yeah of course. Whatever you want," Santana was quick to reassure the blonde. "But why are you asking? We usually just hang out after school anyways."

"My mom's picking me up after glee to figure out how to get my car up here so I don't have to keep using my parents'. I figured it would be polite to ask before just coming over later."

"Gotcha." The bell rang, signaling the start of another long day. Santana picked up her stuff and started walking with Dani to their first classes. "Do you have a cool car?"

"_Hell_ no! I got my dad's old car when he got his new one. The iPod player is jacked up and only plays on the right side of the car, the seats are falling apart and I had to duct tape the material together, it takes nearly twenty minutes to defrost the windshields, the AC is either burning hot or freezing cold, the cup holders are too big for normal sized cups which makes _no_ sense at all, and sometimes the back left window gets stuck." Dani let out a laugh. "It's a piece of crap, but it's been good to me. Always gets me where I need to go, even if I get a little lost." Santana chuckled, remembering when Dani took her bowling and completely missed the bowling alley. The girls came to a stop in front of Dani's classroom door, Santana turning to face her.

"See you at lunch?" Dani smiled and nodded.

"You bet."

Lunch passed by way too quickly for Santana's liking. Dani sat across from her, and seemed more relaxed than she had in the morning, and Santana enjoyed watching her joke around with Elliot, both of them teasing Kurt about something fashion related. She didn't really care what it was about, she just liked seeing a smile on the blonde's face and hearing her laugh. She was brought out of her daze by a quick jab to the ribs.

"San, you're practically drooling," Quinn whispered, teasing her.

"Shut up no I am not!"

"Kind of are..." Brittany chimed in from Quinn's other side.

"Gee, thanks guys." Santana flicked some food at her friends.

"If you're not gonna eat it just give it to me," Puck said, reaching over from his seat next to her to take Santana's tray. Santana gave his outstretched arm a hard smack.

"Keep your grubby fingers away from my food, Puckerman," Santana growled. Puck quickly pulled his arm back, putting his hands up in defense. Dani looked over at Santana, eyebrows raised. "What? Bitch was gonna take my food and I'm not done with it," she grumbled. Dani just smiled and shook her head, turning back to her conversation.

The bell rang, causing Santana to groan and shove as much food in her mouth as she could before heading off to class. She walked side by side with Dani, who wasted no time in telling Santana she looked like a chipmunk.

"A cute chipmunk though," Santana managed to get out around her mouthful of food.

"Ew Santana that's disgusting I can see the food when you talk!" Dani whined, lightly pushing Santana away from her. The brunette finished her food and smirked at Dani.

"But you're not denying that I'm a cute chipmunk, so I'm gonna take that as a win," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. Before Dani could respond, Santana turned and walked into her classroom. She could hear Dani chuckle to herself outside the door, so she poked her head back out, surprising the blonde. "See you in glee," she said smiling. Dani nodded, laughing.

"Yeah chipmunk. See ya."

Glee was different than lunch. Well, glee itself was still the same Rachel Berry show. Glee Dani was different than lunch Dani. Santana noticed she was a lot more subdued. Not distant, just...quiet. Dani scooted close to Santana, close enough that their shoulders were touching, fiddling with her bracelet. The blonde looked almost…nervous. Why would she be nervous? It wasn't like they didn't sit like this a lot, especially when they hung out. Wait. Hanging out. They were doing that later. Dani was going to talk to her about things. _Got it_. "Way you use your brain, Lopez," she thought to herself, embarrassed that it took her this long to figure it out. She lightly leaned her shoulder into Dani's, hoping the blonde would understand the small reassurance. She did. Dani shifted even closer to Santana, letting out a deep breath.

When glee was over, Santana walked Dani to the front parking lot where her mom was waiting. Before getting in the car, Dani gave Santana a quick hug.

"Text me when you get home."

"I will," Santana promised. She watched Dani get in the car and drive away. When she couldn't see the car anymore she hauled ass to the field, knowing she'd be late.

"Sandbags! Four laps! NOW!" Santana dropped her bag next to Quinn and Brittany's.

"Yes Coach," she grumbled. She began her punishment, already annoyed at how long this practice was going to feel until she could go home and see Dani.

* * *

**To: Dani  
****Hey D i'm home. come over whenever**

Santana laid out on her couch in her comfy clothes, waiting for Dani's response. It didn't take long.

**From: Dani  
****be there in a few**

Santana was beginning to feel nervous herself. What was Dani going to tell her? Is she going to tell her she had six toes on one foot? Is she going to tell her she had a bionic arm? Is she going to tell her she's actually a genius and doesn't need to go to school but she does it so she seems normal? Is she going to tell her she was made of wood, and her father is a toymaker and her best friend is a cricket and a fairy made her a real human...

"Jesus Christ Santana that's Pinocchio!" she yelled at herself. "Where the fuck did that even come from?" She didn't have much time to make fun of herself as the doorbell rang. She rushed to get up, stumbling over her own feet in her haste. "Wow okay. Calm down." She chastised herself. Santana made it to the door in one piece, opening it up to find an incredibly nervous looking Dani with a guitar slung across her back.

"Hey D. Come on in," she stepped to the side and let Dani walk past her. She closed the door and turned to find Dani shifting on her feet. "Do you want to go up to my room?" she asked gently. Dani nodded and followed Santana up the stairs to her bedroom. Santana sat on the bed, crossing her legs underneath her as Dani pulled up the chair from the desk to sit in front of her. The blonde swung the guitar around to rest on her lap, playing with the strings as she figured out where to start.

"Okay, so, um...I...uh..."

"Dani really you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's okay I completely understa-" Dani cut her off with a soft kiss.

"I do have to tell you. I want to tell you. You deserve to know," she said, looking into Santana's eyes.

"If the only reason you're doing this is for me and my curiosity then I don't want you to do it," Santana insisted.

"I'm not doing it for you. I mean, yeah I'm doing it for you, but not _just_ for you. I need to do this for _me_, too. But I need to ask you something first."

"Okay shoot."

"Did you mean it?" Dani lowered her eyes. "What you said that day. Did you mean it?" Santana lifted Dani's chin to look in her eyes, understanding what she meant.

"All of it." Dani smiled. Santana cupped her cheek and brought the blonde's lips back to her own. She wanted to kiss the blonde for as long as she could, but she knew that Dani needed to get everything out so she pulled away, resting her forehead on Dani's. "Every. Word." Dani nodded and sat back, readjusting the guitar on her lap. Santana saw it was the black and orange one from the wall.

"Okay. I'm going to play you something first, just so you can kind of understand why this is going to be hard for me." Santana nodded. She sat and listened as Dani began to play.

_**Grab my keys, get in my car  
**__**Sit and wait for the heat to start  
**__**I'm counting on the gas tank  
**__**To keep me going, and alive  
**__**Mirrors check, shift to drive  
**__**I loosen my grip, and I loosen my mind**_

Dani had her eyes closed, and Santana could feel that neither of them were going to get through the song without tears.

_**I have the passion inside  
**__**But no one's been there to realize  
**__**What I've been through this whole time  
**__**I need a change, take a chance  
**__**Forget her name and make plans  
**__**But now I've come across  
**__**This girl who cares about my loss**_

Dani opened her eyes to look at Santana, and the brunette understood that Dani wasn't singing _to_ her, she was singing _for_ her.

_**If she wants to save me  
**__**I am ready  
**__**My life's always been confidential  
**__**And all my confessions  
**__**Are indiscretions  
**__**Cause now they're being heard for the first time**_

Dani let a tear roll down her cheek.

_**People only seem to see  
**__**The broken glass and debris  
**__**I'm walking out of the crash  
**__**Particles have been smashed  
**__**My pulse is gone I must be dead  
**__**I see her now can she see me ahead  
**__**She waves her arms  
**__**I look back, but now she's gone**_

_**If she wants to save me  
**__**I am ready  
**__**My life's always been confidential  
**__**And all my confessions  
**__**Are indiscretions  
**__**Cause now they're being heard for the first time**_

_**Save me  
**__**Save me  
**__**Save me**_

Santana realized that Dani trusted her, she was ready to let her in, she wanted her to know _everything_. In that moment, Santana knew she would never do anything to hurt the beautiful girl pouring her heart out in front of her.

_**If she wants to save me  
**__**I am ready  
**__**My life's always been confidential  
**__**And all my confessions  
**__**Are indiscretions  
**__**Cause now they're being heard for the first time  
**_

_**If she wants to save me  
**__**I am ready  
**__**Ready  
**__**Ready  
**__**Save me**_

When Dani finished, Santana stood up and moved the guitar from Dani's hands, placing it gently on the bed, and pulled her in for a hug, wrapping her arms around the blonde's shoulders. Dani immediately fell into her, putting her own arms around Santana's waist and burying her face in the cheerleader's neck. Santana let the blonde cry softly, playing with the blue streak in Dani's hair. After a few minutes, Dani pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"Sorry." Santana sat them down on the bed, leaning against the headboard. She brought Dani back into her, pulling her as close as she could.

"Never, ever be sorry for the way you feel Dani," she said, placing a kiss to the top of the blonde's head. Dani nodded then sat up, turning her body to face Santana's. She reached over to wipe away the tears Santana hadn't even noticed were on her face. She took a deep breath, and Santana knew it was about to get a lot more serious.

* * *

**I'm so sorry please don't kill me. I really wanted to put it into one chapter but it was just too long :( **

**Dani's car is basically my car XD I literally have mustache duct tape on the driver's seat to hold it together. **

**Okay so we didn't quite make it to the 50 reviews, so you must wait for the one-shot (mwahahahaha). When I do post it -and others- it'll be under the title Room For One(shots). Stupid I know, but it made me laugh when I thought of it XD**

**On a serious note, shout out to every single one of you for reading this, even if you ****don't review, favorite, follow, whatever. I just appreciate you taking the time to read it. You all make my heart smile just like this :D**

**Review, let me how I'm doing, blah blah blah you know the drill**

**Song is Save Me by Adam Swink. I HIGHLY recommend listening to it, it's quite beautiful**


	10. Chapter 10

**Heads up real quick. This is fairly emotional, and does have bullying as well as mentions of physical, mental, and drug abuse. Nothing graphic, just so you're aware. Okay here we go!**

* * *

_"Never, ever be sorry for the way you feel Dani," she said, placing a kiss to the top of the blonde's head. Dani nodded then sat up, turning her body to face Santana's. She reached over to wipe away the tears Santana hadn't even noticed were on her face. She took a deep breath, and Santana knew it was about to get a lot more serious._

"David and Margaret aren't my real parents."

What?

"When I was three, my father went to prison for armed robbery. It hit my mother really hard. She started doing crazy amounts of drugs, and when I was four she overdosed and died. There was no one to take care of me, so I was put in the foster system until my father was to be released. But the fucking idiot couldn't control himself and got killed by an inmate he pissed off." Dani let out a humorless laugh. "So then I was officially in the system, passed around from home to home. I tried to be a good kid and keep my head down, but I was beaten, broken, verbally and emotionally tormented." Santana had never felt this amount of rage before. Her whole body was vibrating with anger, and apparently Dani noticed. The blonde clasped her hands with Santana's, continuing with her story.

"I was in terrible homes until the start of third grade. That's when David and Margaret came into my life." Santana relaxed a little bit. "They couldn't have kids of their own, so they wanted to give someone like me a chance at a good life. I was wary at first, who wouldn't be, but they are the kindest people I have ever met. They genuinely loved me and wanted the best for me. So they adopted me into their family." Dani struggled for a moment, squeezing Santana's hands, then found the strength she needed to continue.

"Adoption in David and Margaret's small town in the middle of Texas wasn't normal, wasn't a good thing. But I didn't know that. So when I showed up for school and the other kids asked why I was just starting school a few weeks into the year, I didn't know I shouldn't have said anything. They were relentless. Brutal. They called me terrible names, made fun of my family, made me feel like a freak. And not just the kids." Santana tensed again, hating where this was going. "The adults were horrible to me too. They were mean to David and Margaret, but I got the worst of it. I heard things like I was worthless, I would never be good for anything, my parents were foolish for taking me in. I was treated like I had a disease." She paused. "No, I was treated like I _was_ a disease. I was just a kid, I didn't know what I did to make everyone hate me. So when it came time to start middle school, we moved to a different town."

"I thought the people there would be different. They were even worse. Everyone in middle school thinks they're cooler than they actually are, and they don't fight like kids in elementary schools do. They're sneaky. Psychological torment. It was horrible, not to mention the fact that I was just starting to struggle with my sexuality. I felt like every day I was walking into hell itself, and every day I felt lucky to be able to go home in one piece. My parents tried talking to the staff, but all they got was that everything was my fault and I should know better than to cause trouble. I was struggling. I did well in my studies, but nobody would let me play on their sports teams or hang out with them. So most of the time I stayed at home and listened to music, trying to find a silver lining to all of this shit. It came in the form of the piano I got for Christmas that year. I taught myself how to play. It was my only escape. It gave me something positive to focus on, a way to get my feelings out. It was a blessing." Santana smiled at the way Dani talked about her piano. She loved how much the blonde loved her instruments. She noticed the smile fade from Dani's face as she continued.

"But it wasn't enough. The bullying kept getting worse. In seventh grade I bought myself a guitar, the one with all the stickers, and again taught myself how to play. I would go to quiet places no one ever went and played, wishing everything would get easier. It never did. By the time eighth grade was nearly over, I had figured out I was gay, but was too frightened to say anything, even to my parents. At this point, the verbal and emotional bullying had turned to physical bullying." Santana ground her teeth, furious. "It continued even over summer. Some particularly nasty kids followed me around shouting things at me and throwing things, pushing me around. One day I came home with a black eye," Santana couldn't stop the growl that escaped from her throat, "so we up and moved again. This time we moved to a place that seemed to have a little more tolerance for things, but I still knew better."

"High school started and I kept to myself, playing in the music room at lunch and staying away from most people. After a while I noticed that there were a couple people, like two or three, who were out, and nobody bothered them much. I talked to my parents eventually, and they were surprised but they assured me that they loved me no matter what. They understood that I was scared. After that, I started writing my own music, finally feeling free enough to express myself. It was an amazing feeling. I still kept my head down at school, but I felt better than I had in a long time." Santana smiled and Dani returned it.

"One day in town, I was walking down the street when I saw this group of ladies on roller skates going down the street. I stopped to watch. They looked so awesome. One of them noticed me watching and came over, handing me a flyer for the junior roller derby league. I had no idea what that was, but I went home and begged my parents to let me go. They agreed, but only after I learned all the rules, how to play, and went with them to get the equipment I would need. I went to the first practice and was intimidated at first, but I learned that the faster I loosened up, the more fun I had. The other girls there were just as intimidated as I was by the coaches and the older girls who had been playing for longer. We were all in the same boat. I watched the older girls banter back and forth with each other, helping each other with moves, supporting us as we tried our best. Even the coaches would give the girls crap, then fall right back into joking around and just having fun." Dani smiled at the memory.

"Each of us were assigned a veteran teammate to help us through our first few practices. Mine was awesome. She was always supportive, always encouraging to me to get back up when I fell, always pushing me to my limits then congratulating me when I got it right. Even after she didn't have to help me anymore, she kept an eye out for me. When I took the first test to see if I had progressed enough to make it to the next level and I passed, she gave me the biggest hug and told me she was so proud of me." Dani's eyes watered a bit. "That was the first time anyone other than my parents had been proud of something I accomplished." She smiled. "After one of the practices we were talking, and I heard someone ask her if she was going to hang out with her girlfriend. I was a little taken aback, but curious. They were so open about it. I asked her if she was a lesbian and she said, quite proudly, yes. Then I said "Me too." She was the first new person other than my parents that I told. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. She just laughed, gave me a side hug, and said "I know. See you next week, kiddo." She didn't make it a big deal. I was so relieved. The next few weeks, we worked pretty closely together getting my confidence up on the track, and she also helped me gain confidence in who I was as a person. I told the few people I did talk to in school that I was gay, but it didn't bother them much either. Pretty soon the whole school knew but didn't really care. I got a few rude comments, but I had worked up my confidence so much that it didn't really bother me. She left for college at the end of my freshman year, and I never got the chance to properly thank her for all she did for me," Dani said wistfully.

"Then over the summer, I met this girl Lauren. We hung out a few times, and she told me she knew I was gay and she liked me but she was too scared to tell anyone that she was gay too. I told her I totally understood and I would keep her secret if she kept mine. I gave her the basics of my story and she seemed pretty accepting. Eventually we started dating, completely in secret, and it went pretty great for a while. Then a couple months into sophomore year people started talking about how much time we were spending together. It freaked her out, the whole "gay by association" thing. She broke up with me and told everyone I was a foster kid freak who came onto her and wouldn't back off. Everything spiraled out of control from there. It went right back to the verbal, emotional, psychological, and physical bullying, except now they had more things to torment me with thanks to her. I couldn't handle it. At the end of sophomore year I broke down and begged my parents to get me out of there. It took a while to find a place that would work, but eventually we found Lima and you know the rest," Dani shrugged, finishing her story.

Santana didn't know when the tears had started, but she found herself wiping her face with her shirt in an effort to dry them off. She pulled Dani into her arms and hugged her tight.

"You're the bravest person I've ever met," she whispered into Dani's hair. "I don't know how you managed to get through all of that, but I'm so glad you did." Dani snuggled into Santana.

"It sure as hell wasn't easy, but I'm glad I did too."

They sat in silence for a couple minutes, letting Santana process everything.

"Hey D?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you you remember that roller derby girl's name?"

"Yes and no." Santana furrowed her eyebrows. "The players have those fake names, you know? So we never learned each other's real names."

"What was hers?" Dani chuckled.

"Hope U Gots Medical, but everybody called her Hope for short at practice. Kind of funny, isn't it? She was the first person to give me hope that things could be okay."

"Do you know where she went to college?"

"No. All I know is that she wanted to be a nurse."

"Hope U Gots Medical, the badass nurse who spreads hope," Santana giggled. "The irony is killing me." Dani laughed, sitting up to look at Santana. "Noooo don't look at me," Santana rushed to cover her face with her hands. "I look like a total mess." Dani laughed and pulled Santana's hands away.

"You look beautiful," she said with a smile, placing a kiss on the top of Santana's hand.

"How come you aren't as much of a wreck as me? I mean props to you, but that's some heavy stuff." Santana questioned. Dani lowered her eyes.

"Because I haven't gotten to the hard part yet." Santana reached over to place a hand on her knee.

"We don't have to keep going. You've already told me so much. You can stop if you'd like." Dani shook her head.

"No, this is the part I _really_ need to get out." Santana nodded, allowing Dani to take her time.

Dani took a few deep breaths, then reached around for the guitar on the bed behind her. She laid it flat on her lap and let her fingers run over the wood. When she finally looked up at Santana, the brunette could tell that whatever Dani was about to say was even more important than what had already been said.

"You've asked me several questions I've avoided. I answered most of them already, but there are three that I haven't and they all have the same answer; who else knows I write music, who gave me this guitar, and who is the girl in the picture. You didn't ask the last one, but we both know you wanted to. I guess the easiest place to start is why the guitar means so much to me. I only use it outside my house for incredibly important or special things, but I play it alone quite often. It was a gift for my sixteenth birthday, and if I had to pick a most prized possession, this would be it." Dani paused, pulling the small photo out of her wallet and handing it to Santana. The girl looked not much younger than Dani, with chocolate brown hair just past her shoulders. The girl was smiling, causing her eyes to scrunch up. Santana looked up at Dani, who was watching her fingers trace patterns on the guitar, to see her fighting back tears.

"Dani, who is this? Is this Lauren?" The blonde let out a small laugh.

"No, that's not Lauren. God no." Santana exhaled a relieved breath. She glanced down at the picture again, then lifted her head back up to Dani.

"So who is it?" Dani looked up at Santana, finally letting her tears fall.

"That's my sister."

Santana felt her breath catch in her throat, and not in the "Dani just did something ridiculously cute" kind of way. She let her eyes fall back to the small picture in her hands, holding it as if she was afraid to accidentally break it. She noticed the girl's eye color; it was nearly identical to Dani's, just a little bit darker. They had the same wide smiles, the same dimples. She imagined that if Dani had her natural hair color, they would look incredibly alike. Santana looked back up to find that Dani had tears streaming down her face, with no signs of stopping. She put the picture down on her nightstand and carefully slid the guitar out from under Dani's hands, wiping off the little puddles forming on the lacquer and setting it flat on the chair Dani had previously occupied. She turned her attention back to the blonde, pulling her towards her body. She leaned against the headboard and let Dani curl into her, the blonde's head on her chest and her fist clenched around the fabric of Santana's shirt. Santana wrapped one arm around Dani's back, holding her close, and let the other rest on top of Dani's fist.

For a while, Santana said absolutely nothing. She just comforted Dani as the blonde fell apart, wishing she could make whatever pain Dani was feeling go away. When she felt Dani's breathing slowly return to normal, she moved her hand to Dani's face, brushing the hair out of her eyes and wiping off some of the tears. She soon realized that she needed something else, so she bunched up her shirt and used it to wipe away the rest. Dani gave her a small laugh.

"Sorry about your shirt," she looked up at Santana.

"It's okay." She kissed Dani's forehead. "It's just a shirt." Dani nodded and put her head back on Santana's chest. They sat in silence as Dani calmed down.

"Madison."

"Hmm?"

"My sister's name is Madison." Santana nodded and ran her hand up Dani's arm, signaling her to continue.

"She's two years younger than me. I was nearly five when we were put in the system, so she had just turned three. I did everything I could to protect her. She was all I had left. I always took the blame for her, always snuck her extra food, always talked her out of trouble, always supported her, always told her things were going to be okay. And I don't regret any of it. I'd do it all over again so she'd never have to experience anything that I did. Unfortunately for me, I was left with the label of "problem child". I was the bad apple. I was the one getting written up and getting the most complaints. Most adoptive parents don't want to take two at a time, much less where one is a troublemaker. So when a couple came looking for someone to adopt and fell in love with Maddie, they didn't want to take me too." Santana felt more tears seeping into her shirt and intertwined her fingers with Dani's.

"I tried so hard to prove that I was a good kid and that everything I did was to protect her, but they weren't buying it. So they took her to California and left me in Texas. Honestly, I'm surprised we got to stay together as long as we did. Thank god for Maddie though; she convinced them to leave their contact information in case someone adopted me. When David and Margaret came along, I told them about Maddie and how much I missed her. We came to an agreement with her family that we can see each other for one week three times a year; for our birthdays and for Christmas. I always have to go out to California so her parents can "supervise". I don't care though, we get to go to Disneyland and the beach and just be together. Three weeks isn't nearly enough, but it's better than nothing." Dani paused to wipe her eyes.

"Maddie was the first person I told about questioning my sexuality. She didn't care. She told me I was still the best big sister in the world, whether I married Justin Timberlake or Beyoncé." She let out a light laugh. "I taught her how to play a little piano. I wrote my first song for her. We sing it together at least once every visit. She has an amazing voice." Dani smiled. "Maddie's a little firecracker. She doesn't put up with people's shit and she has a sharp sense of humor. You'd probably like her a lot." Santana squeezed Dani's hand, smiling.

"She sounds like a great kid."

"But you wouldn't like her more than me, right?" Santana laughed.

"Dani, I don't think I can like _anybody_ more than you."

"Good." Dani leaned up to give Santana a kiss on the cheek, then settled back onto her chest. "Maddie bought me that guitar with her own money for my sixteenth birthday. It means absolutely everything to me. I write most of my songs on it. It's the best gift I've ever gotten."

"I understand if you don't want to, but…would you play me the song you wrote for her sometime? I totally get it if it's just a you and her thing or it's too personal or whatever I-"

"When are you going to learn to stop rambling so damn much?" Santana looked down sheepishly.

"Sorry." Dani took a deep breath and moved to get up.

"Yeah I'll play it."

"Are you sure? You don't have to." Dani smiled, getting settled in the chair with the guitar in her lap.

"Tell you what, Tana; I'll play you this song if you answer a question for me after." Santana nodded.

"Anything."

"Okay. Now don't judge, I wrote this when I was like fourteen," Dani let out a little laugh, and started to strum.

_**Sometimes these walls seem to cave in on me  
**__**When I look in your eyes, I feel alive  
**__**Some days we say words that don't mean a thing  
**__**But when you're holding me tight, I feel alive**_

_**Make it last forever  
**__**Come on baby won't you hold onto me, hold onto me  
**__**You and I together  
**__**Come on baby won't you hold onto me, hold onto me**_

Dani couldn't stop the smile that took over her face.

_**Each day I feel so blessed to be looking at you  
**__**Cause when you open your eyes, I feel alive  
**__**My heart beats so damn quick when you say my name  
**__**When I'm holding you tight, I'm so alive  
**__**Now let's just live it up**_

_**Make it last forever  
**__**Come on baby won't you hold onto me, hold onto me  
**__**You and I together  
**__**Come on baby won't you hold onto me, hold onto me**_

_**We gotta hold on  
**__**I gotta hold on  
**__**You've got to hold on  
**__**You've got a hold on, a hold on to me**_

_**Make it last forever  
**__**Come on baby won't you hold onto me, hold onto me  
**__**You and I together  
**__**Come on baby won't you hold onto me, hold onto me**_

"You wrote that when you were _fourteen_? Shit Dani, that was incredible!" Dani blushed and moved to place the guitar next to the dresser. She came back and sat cross legged on the bed, facing Santana.

"Thanks Tana," she said with a smile. "Now it's time for my question." Santana shifted so she was sitting crossed legged as well. "When you said all of those things on Friday, it took me by surprise. Most people get frustrated with me and my trust issues really fast, but not you. You gave me a chance. Nobody has ever said anything like that to me before. I've never met someone who was so willing to be patient with me, someone who wants to know the little things about me. I've never met someone willing to stand up for me, someone who makes me feel so safe." She paused, picking up Santana's hand and lacing their fingers together. "I've never met someone like you. When we first met I felt this, I don't know, instant connection with you. I felt like I could trust you, but my track record with trust isn't the best so I was still wary. So when you told me all of that stuff on Friday, I didn't quite know what to do. You're the exact opposite of everything I expected." Santana smiled.

"I knew right after you left that I wanted to tell you everything, but I had to take time to figure out how to say it without scaring you away." Santana opened her mouth to argue, but Dani shook her head. "Let me finish. The way you handled everything today just proved to me that I can trust you without a doubt. I didn't quite believe it when you said you'd never judge me, but the fact that you haven't freaked out or made me leave or whatever shows me that you meant everything. I'll do my best to never doubt you again." Dani stopped for a second to gather courage, for what Santana wasn't sure. "Now to my question," the blonde picked up Santana's other hand, holding both of their hands together and looked into her eyes, "Santana, will you be my girlfriend?"

Santana's heart stopped. Did she hear Dani right? She said _girlfriend_, didn't she? "Answer her, idiot!" _Thanks brain_.

"Y-You stole my line." _What kind of answer is that, nimrod?!_ Dani laughed.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just...after everything you've done for me, I wanted to step up. I needed to show you that I want this as much as you do. I-"

"Yes," Santana stated.

"Y...wha...yes? As in _yes _yes? Or are you agreeing that I needed to step up yes? Or-" Santana grabbed Dani's face, pulling her close.

"Danielle!"

"...yes?"

"Yes." Dani opened her mouth to say more words, but Santana decided enough was enough and kissed her. She slowly brought her hands to the back of Dani's neck, pulling her closer. Dani lifted her own hands to rest on Santana's wrists. Santana pulled back just enough to let her lips hover over Dani's.

"_Yes."_

* * *

**Everybody make it through that? You still with me? Okay. Couple things: 1-I have absolutely nothing against Texas. It just worked for the story. Sorry if I accidentally offended anyone with that. 2-I have zero knowledge on the foster system other than what I've seen on TV, so sorry if I screwed that up as well. I did my best.**

**Well that was an emotional chapter huh? I can honestly tell you that I drew from a couple personal experiences for this one. Some of the not fun stuff, but also the roller derby stuff. I actually did play, and one of my coaches really was a med student called Hope U Gots Medical. One of the nicest ladies I've ever met.**

**But that ending doe… ;) About time!****  
**

**Please review and all that fun stuff. I seriously love you guys**

**Song is Blue (feat Blue Ivy) by Beyoncé**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! Hope everybody's doing well :) If not I hope you feel better soon, loves. I had the best weekend ever with my bff and it was amazing. But this isn't about me. This is about Dani and Santana. Let's check in on them, shall we?**

* * *

Santana Lopez had never felt so happy in her entire seventeen years of life on planet Earth. She had no idea how she had managed to do it, but somehow she was able to call the most beautiful girl she had ever seen her _girlfriend_. Dani had officially been hers for two weeks now, and sometimes she still couldn't believe it was real.

They had decided to wait on telling other people, except Quinn, Brittany, and Dani's parents. Santana wasn't entirely comfortable with telling her own parents yet, much less other people, but she was slowly gaining more confidence. She wanted more than anything to be able to hold Dani's hand in the hallways at school, to kiss her before dropping her off at class. It had almost happened a few times, but she caught herself just in time. She always walked away wishing she had Dani's strength, feeling bad for making the blonde keep them a secret. Dani had assured her she was okay with it, but that didn't make Santana feel any less guilty. She wanted to show Dani off to the world, claim Dani as hers and hers alone. If only she was brave enough.

Monday at lunch, Santana sat with Dani and Puck on her right, Quinn and Brittany on her left, Elliot, Kurt, and Blaine in front of her, and the other glee kids sitting around them. Dani's shoulder was nearly touching hers, but there was a small gap between them. A gap Santana thought was far too wide.

"Are you guys going to the Halloween dance this weekend?" Elliot asked the group.

"Hell no! Dances are for pussies!" Puck scoffed from down the table. Finn nodded, but quickly stopped at a stern look from Rachel.

"So you're not gonna fail at trying to spike the punch again this year?" Quinn teased. Puck stiffened.

"I didn't...Coach...she...I'm gonna get it this year, dammit!" he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table. Everyone laughed.

"Are you going, Elliot?" Mercedes asked. Elliot nodded. "What are you going as?"

"Freddie Mercury." Santana looked around the table, chuckling at the looks of confusion on most of her friends' faces.

"From Queen?" Dani asked excitedly.

"Of course Dani would know who that is," Santana thought with a smile.

"The very same," Elliot grinned. A round of "Oh"s echoed around the table.

"I think Blaine and I are going to go. I don't really know what I want to be, but Blaine does," Kurt piped up. Blaine nodded in agreement.

"Yeah I want to go as Harry Potter. He's totally awesome."

"You should go as Ginny, Lady Hummel," Santana snickered. The other kids stared at her. "What? I don't live under a rock. I've seen the movies." They all turned back to the conversation, satisfied with her answer. She leaned in closer to Dani. "And read all the books. Several times," she whispered. Dani smiled.

"You are such a nerd," the blonde whispered back. Santana looked at Dani's brightly smiling face, noticing how incredibly close to her own it was. She glanced down at Dani's lips. They were right there. So close. All she had to do was-

"What about you Dani?" Both girls whipped their heads around, turning to the sound of Rachel's voice.

"Huh?" Santana almost couldn't hold in her giggle at the tint of red on Dani's cheeks.

"What are you going to be for the dance?" Rachel repeated. Dani cleared her throat.

"Oh, uh, right. Well I was thinking about being a zombie for Halloween, but I don't know if I'm going to the dance." Santana furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why not?"

"Are you going to go?" Dani questioned. Rachel spoke before Santana could answer.

"Of course she is. No matter how much she says she doesn't want to go, she always shows up in that "sexy" Batman costume, ready to...what's the phrase?" the small brunette asked the table.

"Get down and dirty!"

"Dance her pants off!"

"Shake what her mama gave her!"

"Alright alright we get it!" Santana grumbled. Dani couldn't help but laugh.

"Clearly Santana is going to go whether she admits it or not. So the question is, why aren't you?" Quinn asked. Dani shrugged.

"I can't dance."

"That is the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard!" Santana exclaimed. "I've seen you dance when you take out the trash. A couple times," she added quickly, hoping no one would think she'd been watching the blonde. Quinn smirked at Santana.

"Well yeah I do stupid little dances when I'm alone or whatever, but I've never been to a school dance before. I don't even know how to dance properly. I can do the Running Man like nobody's business," Santana giggled, remembering the first time they met, "but I never learned how to "get down and dirty", or even slow dance. I'd just embarrass myself." Santana sighed.

"You can't be more embarrassing than Frankenteen over there-"

"Santana!"

"Oh come on Dwarf, we all know it's true." Finn nodded his head.

"Yeah I'm a pretty terrible dancer." Rachel huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Santana turned to Dani.

"If I teach you how to dance, will you go?" The table fell silent. Santana started to feel a little nervous. "The whole club is going, it won't be the same without you." Dani looked around at the nodding heads of her friends. She sighed.

"Alright fine. If Santana teaches me how to dance, I will go." The table cheered and Dani shook her head, laughing. Santana looked over at her, a grin growing on her face. "Uh, what's that look for?"

"I'm gonna teach you how to dance."

"Yeah I know, I was there when that was decided." Santana shook her head, her grin getting wider.

"No, D. Right now. I'm gonna teach you how to dance _right now_." Dani looked around the table, hoping to find an answer in someone's face.

"Right here, right now?"

"Yes right now, but in the choir room. It's quieter and there's more room to move," Santana explained as she stood up.

"Santana there's like fifteen minutes left of lunch."

"Perfect. I'll teach you the basics then we can go get our tickets from the office after school." Dani glanced over at Quinn, who shrugged her shoulders. "Come on, it'll be fun!" Santana pleaded. Dani turned her head to find Kurt and Elliot shooing her off, smiles on their faces. She let out a sigh and grabbed her backpack.

"Alright fine. But you owe me!" Santana let out a loud laugh.

"I think not! I'm the one teaching _you_ how to dance, if anything you owe _me_!" Dani got up and followed Santana out of the cafeteria.

"No way! You're the one making me do this in the first place, therefore _you_ owe _me_!"

"Oh you are so full of shit, Dani..."

When the two had finally left the cafeteria, Elliot and Kurt looked at each other, nodding. Elliot turned to Quinn and Brittany, quirking up an eyebrow.

"Ten bucks says Dani makes a move. Finally." Quinn turned her head to look at Brittany, both girls smirking. Quinn faced Elliot as Brittany answered.

"You're on."

* * *

"Are you seriously gonna teach me how to dance right now?" Dani whined. Santana laughed and flipped on the lights in the choir room as she closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, I am. I want you to go to that dance." She crossed over to Dani, wrapping her arms around her waist. "But only with me."

"Is that your way of asking me to go with you?"

"I suppose it is," Santana smiled.

"Well," Dani sighed, wrapping her arms around Santana's neck, "you could use a little work in the romance department, and the delivery could have been smoother, but I guess it'll do," she teased.

"Ugh you're such a pain," Santana mumbled with a smile on her face.

"Oh I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said "Got to raise my game", obviously."

"Nice save," Dani chuckled. Santana shot her a wink as she pulled herself away from the blonde and walked over to the stereo. She plugged in her iPod, searching for the right song to start with. "Okay so what are we doing first?"

"We're gonna start with the slow dance. It's not hard at all," Santana replied as she found the right song. She pressed play and walked back over to Dani. "Okay so a basic slow dance is incredibly easy. You're shorter, so your hands go up here," she directed the blonde's hands to her shoulders, "and mine go here," Santana explained as she placed her hands on Dani's hips, leaving a gap between them. "Just follow me for the first little bit, okay?" Dani nodded.

Santana began to sway them in time with the music, Dani catching on really quickly. Halfway through the song, Santana felt Dani was way too far from her. She pulled the blonde all the way in to her body, wrapping her arms securely around her waist. Dani followed suit, wrapping her arms around Santana's neck and resting her head on her shoulder. Santana thought she was in heaven. She continued to sway with Dani in her arms, reveling in how perfect everything felt. As the song began to end, she pulled back far enough to see Dani's face.

"You good?"

"Perfect," Dani said with a smile. "That really wasn't hard."

"I told you it wouldn't be," Santana grinned.

"Maybe I just have a really good teacher." Santana felt her cheeks heat up.

"Y-yeah. Or that."

"I love that I can still make you do that," Dani laughed.

"Oh shut up, D." Santana turned around to change the song, but felt Dani pull her back.

"Relax. You know I love teasing you babe."

And there it was. The tiny, four letter pet name that made Santana's knees weak, made her cheeks turn bright red, made her heart hammer in her chest, made her brain turn to mush. She thought Tana would be her all-time favorite nickname. She was terribly, completely, wonderfully wrong.

"Tana? You okay?" Santana was brought out of her daze to see Dani's concerned eyes staring at her.

"I'm gr-" she quickly cleared the squeakiness out of her voice, "I'm great."

"Oka-" Dani stopped, groaning in realization. "Oh god. Was it to soon to say that? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomf-"

"Dani, stop," Santana said softly. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear before leaning in to place a kiss on the blonde's cheek. "I love it." Dani let out a huge breath. "Just caught me off guard is all," Santana smiled at Dani. "So, _babe_, are you ready to try the next step up in slow dancing?" Dani grinned.

"Let's give it a shot."

"Okay so this is more like a traditional waltz type dance, but we're just gonna do the absolute basics for right now." Dani nodded. "So put your left hand on my right shoulder," Dani followed the instruction, "and hold your right hand up and out, facing away from your body." Dani held her arm out, letting Santana place it just right. "Good, now, I'm going to put my right hand back on your shoulder blade and put my left hand under yours." Santana stepped closer to Dani, bringing them together in the proper position.

"This is kinda looks like the dance thing from Enchanted," Dani commented.

"You are such a Disney dork," Santana laughed, "but yeah, sort of. Okay remember that position, I'm gonna pick the song." She ran to change the music, then made her way back to Dani. They resumed their positions and Santana started to slowly move them as the words poured out of the speakers.

_**Take my hand, I'll teach you to dance  
**__**I'll spin you around, won't let you fall down  
**__**Would you let me lead, you can step on my feet  
**__**Give it a try, it'll be alright**_

Dani stumbled over her feet, but Santana quickly righted her.

"Relax, Dani. Just feel the music."

_**The room's hush hush and now's our moment  
**__**Take it in, feel it all and hold it  
**__**Eyes on you, eyes on me  
**__**We're doing this right**_

Dani lifted her eyes from watching her shoes to look into Santana's eyes as she led them around the room.

_**Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love  
**__**Spotlight shining, it's all about us  
**__**It's ah-ah-all, about uh-uh-us  
**__**And every heart in the room will melt  
**__**This is a feeling I've never felt but  
**__**It's all about us**_

"I'm gonna twirl you around now, okay?" Santana asked gently. Dani nodded. Santana let go of the blonde's shoulder but kept their hands close as she spun Dani around once and pulled her back in, singing along to the next part of the song.

_**Suddenly, I'm feeling brave  
**__**Don't know what's got into me, why I feel this way  
**__**Can we dance real slow  
**__**Can I hold you real close**_

_**The room's hush hush and now's our moment  
**__**Take it in, feel it all and hold it  
**__**Eyes on you, eyes on me  
**__**We're doing this right**_

Santana continued leading Dani around the choir room, completely lost in their own little world.

_**Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love  
**__**Spotlight shining, it's all about us  
**__**It's ah-ah-all, about uh-uh-us  
**__**And every heart in the room will melt  
**__**This is a feeling I've never felt but  
**__**It's all about us**_

_**Do you hear that love, they're playing our song  
**__**Do you think we're ready, oh I'm really feeling it  
**__**Do you hear that love, do you hear that love**_

Santana stopped leading and pulled Dani in so they were dancing the way she first taught her, gently swaying. Dani laid her head on Santana's shoulder, and Santana placed her head on top of Dani's.

_**Do you hear that love, they're playing our song  
**__**Do you think we're ready yet, oh I'm really feeling it  
**__**Do you hear that love, do you hear that love**_

_**Do you hear that love, they're playing our song  
**__**Do you think we're ready yet, oh I'm really feeling it  
**__**Do you hear that love, do you hear that love**_

Santana grabbed Dani's hand and began leading her around the room again, twirling her beautiful girlfriend around and feeling completely content.

_**Lovers dance when they're feeling in love  
**__**Spotlight shining, it's all about us  
**__**It's ah-ah-ah-all  
**__**Every heart in the room will melt  
**__**This is a feeling I've never felt but  
**__**It's ah-all about us**_

_**Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love  
**__**Spotlight shining, it's all about us  
**__**It's ah-ah-all  
**__**And every heart in the room will melt  
**__**This is a feeling I've never felt but  
**__**It's ah-ah-all, it's all about us**_

As the song faded out, Santana dipped Dani, causing the blonde to let out a small squeal. Santana pulled her back up, both girls breathing heavily.

"Wow," Dani managed to exhale.

"Yeah. Wow." Santana found herself moving closer and closer to Dani's face. She knew she was still at school. She knew anyone could walk in at any given moment. But for the first time, she wasn't worried about it. All she was worried about was feeling Dani's lips on hers in the next three seconds-

"Hey Santana- Oh! Oh my." Both Santana and Dani's heads snapped over to find Rachel in the doorway. Dani turned back to Santana, whose face had drained of all color.

"Are you sure there's nothing on my face? I hit the piano pretty hard," Dani lied calmly.

"You did what?! Santana you're supposed to be teaching her how to dance, not injuring her!" Rachel chastised as she ran over to inspect Dani's face. Santana stood frozen, trying to regain control of her brain.

"It's not her fault Rach. I tripped over my own feet." Dani gave Santana a small encouraging smile over Rachel's shoulder.

"Well just be careful," Rachel warned as she continued to study Dani's face. "I think you're fine, I don't see anything." She turned to Santana. "And you," Santana narrowed her eyes at the tiny brunette, causing her to raise her hands in defense, "I was just wondering if you would teach Finn how to dance too." Santana and Dani both laughed.

"I'm sorry Hobbit, but we all know that boy is a lost cause when it comes to dancing," Santana grinned. Rachel sighed.

"I know, but you can't blame a girl for trying." Dani slung an arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"Oh come on guys, he can't be that bad." Santana couldn't stop laughing, so Rachel had to answer.

"Last year he broke my nose during a rehearsal..." she looked dejectedly up at Dani. "He's hopeless." Dani couldn't contain her own giggles, and soon all three girls were laughing together. They only stopped when the bell rang, needing to calm down and head to class. Santana grabbed her bag and handed Dani hers, the two of them walking out of the room with Rachel. They dropped the tiny brunette off at her classroom, then walked in silence to Dani's classroom. Dani stopped in front of the door, but Santana refused to look up from her shoes, so Dani lifted her chin.

"Santana, it's okay."

"I'm sorry I froze, I just didn't know what to do," Santana said, frustrated with herself. Dani gave her a small smile.

"Like I said, it's okay. We can talk more about it later if you want, alright?" Santana nodded. "Good. Now go to class, I'll see you in glee." Santana gave the blonde a weak smile.

"Okay. See you in a bit."

* * *

Santana found her usual seat by Dani in the back for glee, still a little unsettled by what had happened at lunch, but not for the reasons she thought she would be upset. She thought she would be freaked by Rachel almost finding out about her and Dani, and she was, but the more she thought about it, she realized she was more upset with herself for allowing her fears about other people's opinions to put a damper on her happiness. If anybody would be understanding, it would be Rachel and the glee kids. Hell, a good portion of them were gay anyways. Maybe she could just tell them first, get used to the water before diving in all the way...

"You're thinking pretty hard over there," Dani whispered over one of Mr. Schue's obnoxious pep talks. Santana smiled at the blonde.

"Yeah sorry, I just had an idea." Dani raised an eyebrow.

"Care to share?"

"I'll tell you later. Come over after practice?" Dani grinned.

"Don't I always?"

"Dani! Santana! Would you like to tell everyone what's so important that you feel the need to ignore me?" Mr. Schue demanded.

"The time I'm wasting listening to another one of these pointless pep talks," Santana replied cooly, earning giggles from around the room.

"Well then let's get started on this week's lesson, shall we? Okay. For this week, I want you guys to get vulnerable. Open yourselves up a bit..." Santana rolled her eyes and tuned out again. She turned slightly to Dani.

"Hey D, can I ask you something?" she whispered. The blonde nodded. "How did you come up with that lie in practically no time at all?"

"Practice. Had to keep Maddie and myself out of as much trouble as possible, and Lauren was crazy paranoid about being found out," Dani whispered so quietly Santana had to strain to hear her. She couldn't help but feel bad about making Dani lie for her.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault. Can we finish this conversation later?" Santana nodded and scooted the tiniest bit closer to Dani, wanting to take the blonde's hand in her own, but still feeling to nervous to do so. Santana felt her resolve strengthen, determined to make that change.

* * *

After all of their activities and most of their homework was completed for the evening, Santana and Dani found themselves cuddled together on Santana's couch watching a movie. This was almost a nightly occurrence, and Santana loved it. She loved the feeling of being wrapped up in Dani's arms with not a care in the world. The only better feeling was holding Dani in her arms, but she was more than content to be the cuddled at the moment, rather than the cuddler. She absentmindedly played with Dani's hand while they watched the movie, snuggling in closer to the blonde.

"Hey Tana?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? With what happened earlier?" Santana gave Dani's hand a light squeeze.

"It scared the hell out of me, that's for sure."

"I know, you look like you'd seen a ghost or something," Dani said as she let out a light laugh. "Thank god Rachel is kinda gullible. Or just really determined to win Regionals. Either way works for me."

"It's a little bit of both, I'm sure," Santana chuckled. She sighed, fiddling with Dani's bracelet. The blonde never seemed to take it off. Santana tilted the rectangle towards herself, reading it. Hakuna Matata. No Worries.

"What's going on in that head of yours, babe?" Santana smiled at the pet name. She'd never get tired of hearing it.

"Just looking at your bracelet. Thinking about Hakuna Matata and stuff."

"What about it?" Santana took a deep breath. She decided she should talk to Dani first about telling the glee club about their amazing new relationship.

"Well I was just thinking; I'm tired of being worried all the time." Dani moved Santana so they were both sitting up on the couch, facing each other.

"I don't understand..." the blonde trailed off, confused.

"I mean, I don't know if I can do this anymore." Dani narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists together. _Wait no, that wasn't what you were supposed to say!_

"What are you saying? Are you saying you don't want to be with me?"

"No Dani that's not-"

"Well what is it? Are you scared somebody will find out?"

"Of course I am, but I was-" Dani shook her head and stood up. _Shit, wrong words again._

"Save it." She grabbed her backpack and headed towards the front door.

"Dani please, let me-"

"I'm going home." Santana chased after Dani, trying to stop her before she left.

"No! I don't want to do this with you-" Dani scoffed as she reached the door. _GODDAMMIT_.

"Yeah. I gathered that." Santana desperately tried to form the right sentence before Dani walked out.

"Dani wait I-" The door closed in her face. She dropped her head onto the wood, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Fuck."

* * *

**WHAAAAA?! Didn't see that one coming, did ya? It was all cute and awwww, then BAM! Santana dun goofed. I'm gonna be honest though, if I had a Dani I'd trip over my words like that too. All the time.**

**I know exactly diddly squat about dancing, so sorry if I got that wrong.**

**We haven't done a teaser challenge in a while…how about if you can tell me what song is playing in the Enchanted dance scene Dani refers to WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP (I'm really trusting you guys, I feel like we've reached that level now) I'll give you a snippet of next week's chapter :)**

**Please review, let me know what you think, you know how this works**

**Song is All About Us by He Is We featuring Aaron Gillespie**


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